Attorney Cho Su-jin, a director of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, who had pointed out that group Lecenne member Woni's (birth name Jung Won-i) remark "Museopno" was an Ilbe-style expression, issued a public apology.
Cho wrote on Instagram on the 9th, "I am worried that my remarks may have hurt Woni, an artist of the group Lecenne, and I want to offer an apology," adding, "It seems I lacked understanding of generational language."
On the 7th, appearing on the YouTube channel "Jang Yun-seon's reporting convenience store," Cho had said of Woni's remark, "I'm also from Gyeongsang Province," and, "A lot of (other) expressions by that singer are being posted, so I thought it was indeed an Ilbe-style expression."
As the controversy continued, Cho further explained the intent of the remarks. Cho said, "The point of my remarks was that the structural issue of the younger generation's Ilbe-style 'no' sentence ending should not be targeted as an individual's responsibility, and that it should not be exploited politically."
Cho added, "Not only on Ilbe but across many online communities, attaching the ending 'no' in ways that are not grammatically proper to insult and mock the late President Roh Moo-hyun has been left unattended for more than 10 years, and it has now been absorbed as the speech pattern and a meme of the younger generation."
Cho also mentioned lengthy experience living in the Gyeongsang region. Cho said, "I was born in Busan and, starting at age 5 in Daegu, I completed elementary, middle, high school, and university there, living 25 years in Gyeongsang Province," adding, "After that I moved up to Seoul and have been living there, but I have never heard cases where '~no' is used as in the situation at issue."
However, Cho said the initial judgment was corrected after hearing an expert explanation on a broadcast. Cho said, "After listening to Professor Kim Deok-ho of Kyungpook National University's department of Korean language and literature on TBC's program aired yesterday, I realized my thinking was wrong."
Cho continued, "While omitting 'Wairi' from 'Wairi museopno' is originally not grammatically natural, I was told that the younger generation omits it," adding, "It was said to be a misunderstanding arising from differences in dialect usage between generations, and hearing that helped me understand." Cho apologized, saying, "I lacked understanding of the language of the younger generation, which involves many omissions in online conversations."
The controversy began in a video released on the 28th on Woni's YouTube channel "Hello this is Woni nice to meet you." The video showed Woni visiting the Japanese hometown house of Japanese member Minami (birth name Ito Minami).
As a spooky atmosphere unfolded while Minami was introducing a younger sibling's room, a producer said, "There was a rattling sound here. What is this, museopno?" To this, Woni replied, "Museopno. Even the lighting is scary."
The scene became controversial online after producer Kim Hyun-ji, who directed the documentary film "Adult Kim Jang-ha," raised the issue on social media on the 1st. Producer Kim wrote, "I watched a well-received YouTube clip, and a female idol and a producer were cheerfully exchanging 'nono,' which made me very upset," adding, "Please give more thought to the everyday use of the 'Ilbe-style no.'"
After that, as former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk and Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok expressed differing views, the controversy spread to the political arena.