SNL Korea Comes Under Fire For Sexualizing Kim Tae Ri’s Character In “Jeongnyeon”

SNL Korea recently received public criticism over its parody of the character of Jeongnyeon from Kim Tae Ri’s latest K-Drama, Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born.

The parody sexualized the character of Jeongnyeon in various ways in the episode that aired on Saturday, October 26. Comedian Ahn Young Mi, who was mimicking Jeongnyeon, introduced herself as “Jeot-nyeon,” a term blending two profanities in the Korean language. While the word “jeot” is used to denote breasts, “nyeon” is a very offensive term used to call a woman.

Additionally, the episode also sexualized the pansori (Korean folk song) sung by Jeongnyeon in the drama. While the original lyrics say, “Come here, let’s play while piggybacking,” Ahn sang the parody version that said, “Come here, let’s do it without our clothes.”

This episode sparked an intense backlash as the public felt that this depiction had crossed a line as Jeongnyeon is a teenage character. In addition, many felt that the parody also made a mockery of the actors who dedicated their efforts to master the very difficult craft of Pansori and, by extension, insulted traditional Korean culture.

Despite the widespread criticism, the show has not made any statements regarding its stance on the issue, just like they have remained silent on the mounting criticism for another episode where they mocked NewJeans’ Hanni.

Meanwhile, the story of Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born is based on a super popular Korean webtoon named Jeongnyeon. You can read more about the story to know why it has such a special place in the hearts of Korean audiences.

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