PPP spokesperson defends K-pop idol over dialect row, calls for repeal of 'gag law'

People Power Party media spokesperson Son Su-jo pushed back Monday against criticism targeting girl group Risenné member Wonyi over her use of the word "museopno," which some have linked to the far-right online community Ilbe, calling the backlash a "witch hunt."

Son posted a brief message on her social media account Monday, writing: "What's wrong with 'museopno'? Repeal the gag law."

The controversy stems from a clip on the YouTube channel "Hello, I'm Wonyi, Nice to Meet You," in which Wonyi, while joking with production staff, says "museopno, the lighting alone is scary." Wonyi is from Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, and frequently uses the Gyeongsang dialect on the program.

The dispute went public after Kim Hyun-ji, an MBC Gyeongnam producer who directed the documentary "Adult Kim Jang-ha," said she was "deeply troubled" after watching a widely praised YouTube clip in which a female idol and a producer casually exchanged the expression "no, no." Kim said the use of the non-standard particle "no" by young people felt like a crisis.

"I feel an even greater sense of urgency seeing young people naturally using the ungrammatical 'no,'" she said.

The remarks set off a political debate over whether Wonyi's use of the word reflected Gyeongsang dialect or Ilbe slang.

Son had already weighed in on the public reaction to Wonyi in an earlier post, also calling it a "witch hunt."

"Watching the witch hunt against Baejaego students over 'let's go to Starbucks,' and the witch hunt against Gyeongsang idol Risenné's Wonyi over 'museopno,' I see the foolishness of those in power who think they can silence people by force," she wrote.

She also wrote: "Why drag politics into the business and entertainment pages? And then take a switch to teenagers and idols? Drive witch hunts and socially bury them? What kind of social violence is this?"

Son also referenced an amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection set to take effect Tuesday.

She said the amendment would "silence the entire nation" and warned it would backfire, adding that "as people relay secondhand accounts of witnessing hate speech, hate will spread like a contagion."

"A country where the right to speak is violated, a country where people must self-censor before opening their mouths — South Korea is going backward," she said, calling for the immediate repeal of the amendment, which critics have dubbed the "gag law."