Former "Chungju Man" Kim Sun-tae has drawn repeated controversy with politically charged remarks. On Monday, he said he had accepted an MC role on a KBS entertainment program to "launder" his image as a "leftist," and on Wednesday he prompted RESCENE member Woni — who had recently been caught up in controversy over the word "museopno" linked to the far-right online community Ilbe — to repeat the expression on camera. After the backlash grew, Kim posted an apology video.
Kim uploaded the apology to his YouTube channel Thursday, saying "I sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt by the preview clip of 'Donsuntae (Donsuntae Seonggong Sidae)' posted on the KBS YouTube channel on Wednesday."
"Donsuntae Seonggong Sidae" is a new KBS web entertainment show that drew attention after Kim was named as its MC.
The production team posted the preview clip Wednesday under the title "First official statement — why is my name in the news?!" The clip featured Woni, a member of the girl group RESCENE known for the song "Geoje Girl." Woni had recently sparked controversy after using the word "museopno" in a video — a Gyeongsang Province dialect expression for "scary" that some users of the far-right community Ilbe have adopted. Public opinion largely sided with Woni, noting that she was simply using her regional dialect, but the episode left her vulnerable to being drawn back into political disputes.
Despite that, the "Donsuntae" preview used the expression "naono" — a similar dialect form — in its thumbnail to invoke the controversy, and host Kim asked Woni, "Would you like to talk a little about the 'museopno' incident?" He also prompted her to say in dialect, "Why is my name coming up in politics?" Woni deflected with a witty reply — "I don't even know what that is" — but the exchange could easily have reignited the controversy depending on how she had responded. The video was taken down after the backlash.
In his apology video, Kim said he had asked the production team to take the clip down as soon as he realized it had caused a problem.
"Making an unreasonable reference to a guest was clearly my fault," he said. "It was the first shoot, and I was so focused on getting through the script on the day that I completely failed to notice the problem with it on set." He went on to say, "Despite this being a show that carries my name, I was truly irresponsible. I hid behind the broadcaster's name and did not request any prior review or preview of the uploaded content."
"Since the video was taken down, I have spent time reflecting on my words and actions," Kim said. "Going forward, I will be more careful with everything I say and do, and I will make sure this never happens again." He added that he wanted to apologize to "everyone who was harmed by my shortcomings, particularly the members of RESCENE."
Kim had also made politically sensitive remarks in a video posted July 21, in which he shared his thoughts on taking the MC role for "Donsuntae."
In that video, Kim said he had agreed to host the KBS show because he had been called a "leftist" after appearing in an MBC election broadcast, and that he had taken the public broadcaster role "to launder that image." While the comment appeared intended to address questions about his political leanings, it drew criticism for using an unfiltered and inappropriate term.
paq@heraldcorp.com
