"Is It Wrong to Say 'It's Scary'?" Dialect Caught in Political Debate Over 'Ilbe' Labeling

"It's scary. Even the lighting is scary..."

This was said by Won, a member of the girl group RESCENE who is from Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province. She made the remark while touring the home of her Japanese bandmate, Minami, on her YouTube channel recently, after hearing a rattling sound inside a closet.

This statement has recently sparked a heated debate in the political sphere.

The controversy began when Cho Kuk, former leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, joined the discussion surrounding Won's use of the phrase "museopno," defining the act of adding "no" to the end of questions as "Ilbe-style speech."

On July 5, Cho wrote on his Facebook page, "Defending the use of 'no' at the end of sentences—which Ilbe uses to mock former President Roh Moo-hyun—by claiming that people in Busan and the Yeongnam region also use it is wrong," adding, "In my observation, Ilbe mechanically attaches 'no' to standard Korean sentences."

Cho also posted an image illustrating the difference between Ilbe and Busan residents, arguing that in the Gyeongsang dialect, the interrogative ending "na" is used for yes-or-no questions, while "no" is used when requesting a specific explanation of a situation.

The following day, he emphasized, "Whether attaching 'no' to questions fits Gyeongsang dialect usage or not is not the point; it is a wrongful act that mocks and disparages the late former President Roh Moo-hyun," adding, "Young people should also realize that using 'no' in questions is a form of hate speech and should stop using it."

In response, Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, countered on Facebook, "A 22-year-old idol from Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, has been branded as an Ilbe member simply for using her hometown dialect to say 'museopno'."

Lee added, "The fact that 'no' has become a meme among some of the younger generation is itself a result of combining former President Roh Moo-hyun's surname with the Gyeongsang dialect he used throughout his life. If we criticize those who created the meme and uproot the language itself, then the Gyeongsang dialect will truly become a language that only 'those people' can use. That would be the very victory that Ilbe desires most."

Park Jie-won, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, also said on the July 7 episode of the SisaIN YouTube live show 'Kim Eun-ji's NewsIN', "Don't people from the Gyeongsang region frequently use the 'hano' and 'hana' speech patterns? It is a daily dialect and language, so how is that Ilbe?" He added, "Since you have a grand vision, you should act and think broadly. Why are you making such a fuss over the phrase 'museopno'?"

Regarding this, young people from the Gyeongsang region pointed out that it is problematic to unconditionally define the Yeongnam dialect as hate speech used by Ilbe.

A 32-year-old office worker surnamed Hong, who spent his school years in Daegu, said, "It is a phrase I used to use often, like 'Why is it so scary?', so I don't understand why it is being made into an issue," adding, "The Gyeongsang dialect varies by region, and it is difficult to understand why they think it is not Gyeongsang dialect just because it is not used in a specific area."

A 31-year-old office worker in Seoul surnamed Han, who attended elementary, middle, and high school in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, also said, "It is a common way of speaking for people from the Gyeongsang region. Are we to be treated as Ilbe members just for attaching 'no' to the end of a sentence?" He added, "Expecting dialect speakers to censor their own speech is an authoritarian attitude from people who do not understand the dialect well."

Some also expressed the opinion that criticizing the exclusionary attitude shown by Ilbe should take precedence over criticizing dialects or speech patterns similar to Ilbe expressions.

A 34-year-old surnamed Hwang (pseudonym), who grew up in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, said, "The attitude of judging the whole based on a single characteristic is, in itself, more 'Ilbe-like'," adding, "Rather than obsessing over the shell of a speech pattern, it is more important to reflect on the value that habitual mockery and hatred must be rejected."

Experts explained that in the Yeongnam dialect, the ending "no" can be attached to exclamatory or self-questioning expressions, not just questions requiring an answer from the other party, and that perceiving this as Ilbe-style speech shows a lack of understanding.

The National Institute of Korean Language defines the ending "no" as a Gyeongsang dialect term that acts as a "sentence-ending suffix that indicates a question by attaching to the stem of a predicate in an interrogative sentence containing an interrogative word."

Lee Sang-kyu, professor emeritus of the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Kyungpook National University and former president of the National Institute of Korean Language, said, "Sentences ending in 'no' are a form of self-questioning or seeking agreement from someone nearby, so making an issue out of it is a serious problem." He added, "In particular, branding someone as an Ilbe member by taking issue with their personal language or regional dialect is at the level of infringing on personality rights."

He further stated, "Phrases like 'waikano' (why is it like this) and 'museopno' are dialects that I use as well, and they should be seen as a type of self-questioning. I think there is a lack of understanding regarding dialects."
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.