K-pop singer Yooyeon speaks out on dialect controversy: 'I was so scared'

Yooyeon, a member of the K-pop group tripleS, has broken her silence on the controversy surrounding her use of the dialectal phrase "museop-no." The singer expressed her fear and distress after being accused of using language associated with a misogynistic online forum.

In a pre-release video for the YouTube show "Donseon Tae: Success Era," hosted by YouTuber Kim Seon-tae, Yooyeon shared her feelings. "I was so surprised," she said. "I only imagined myself appearing on music shows, but suddenly I was in the news. I was so scared."

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I was so surprised. I only imagined myself appearing on music shows, but suddenly I was in the news. I was so scared.

Yooyeon, who hails from Geoje in the Gyeongsangnam-do province, explained that "museop-no" is a common expression in her regional dialect, where "no" is often used as an exclamation. She recounted the interview, saying, "I just said what I usually say. Even if I don't think of it that way, someone else might interpret it differently, so I was very flustered."

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I just said what I usually say. Even if I don't think of it that way, someone else might interpret it differently, so I was very flustered.

The controversy initially erupted last month when Yooyeon's use of "museop-no" in a tripleS YouTube video was labeled as "Ilbe-style" language, referring to the far-right online community Ilbe. The issue escalated, drawing in political figures and sparking heated online debates. While some defended Yooyeon, pointing out the phrase's common usage in the Gyeongsang region, others criticized the media and public figures who amplified the controversy.

Following the backlash, the YouTube show edited the thumbnail of the pre-release video from "What's museop-no?" to "Please look kindly upon it." However, criticism continued, and the video was eventually made private. The Geoje city government, which had appointed Yooyeon as an honorary ambassador, issued a statement clarifying that the expression is a common dialectal phrase and not intended to carry any political meaning.

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The expression is a common dialectal phrase used in the Gyeongsang region and should not be interpreted as having specific political intentions.