Kim Sun-tae Revives Rescene's 'Museobno' Controversy, Switches Video to Private Amid Politician Tag Backlash

Former Chungju official Kim Sun-tae is facing criticism after KBS's new YouTube variety show hosted by him, "Don-sun-tae's Era of Success," re-addressed past controversy surrounding Rescene member Woni.

On July 29, the pre-release video for the Rescene episode titled "First Official Statement, Why Is My Story on the News?!" was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Kebaksu Original." Rescene members Woni and Minami appeared in the video.

Kim Sun-tae directly asked Woni about the controversy surrounding her past use of the dialect expression "museobno" (meaning "Isn't it scary?"). He asked, "While it is okay to acknowledge differing perspectives, it felt like a bit of a stretch, almost like being nitpicked. Didn't anyone suspect it was viral marketing?" Woni replied, "I can see why people might think that, but I was mostly worried that appearing on the news would negatively impact our group."

She continued, "I was actually really shocked. I only ever imagined seeing myself on YouTube or music broadcasts, so finding myself on the social news section overnight was terrifying. Since then, I've felt that I need to be much more careful with every single word I say," adding, "Even if I didn't mean anything by it when I spoke, I realized that some people might interpret it that way. I just used words I normally use, so I was very flustered."

Woni, who is originally from Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do, previously became embroiled in controversy after using the phrase "museobno" in content. The controversy grew as critics pointed out that the phrase is used on the far-right online community Ilbe to disparage the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, while counterarguments maintained that it is simply a Gyeongsang-do dialect.

Following the broadcast, viewers criticized the production format itself for digging up a controversy that had already settled. In particular, the initially registered thumbnail prominently featured the phrase "What is there to be scared of?", and although the production team changed the phrase to "Look upon us kindly" following criticism, the backlash did not subside.

Moreover, hashtags in the video's description box added fuel to the fire. It was confirmed that a mass of tags featuring prominent figures in politics, business, and culture with no relation to Rescene—including President Lee Jae-myung, former national football team coach Hong Myung-bo, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, NewJeans, and Independent lawmaker Han Dong-hoon—had been attached. Tagging politicians on a video featuring an idol member who suffered distress from unintended controversy only amplified the severity of the criticism.

As the fallout grew, the production team switched the video to private without issuing a separate official statement.

"Don-sun-tae's Era of Success" is a talk show where Kim Sun-tae meets figures from various fields for conversations, and it is scheduled for regular programming on KBS2 in August.

▶ 'Chungju Man' Kim Sun-tae Issues Immediate Apology Over Rescene 'Museobno' Video Controversy... "It Was Irresponsible"

(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Kyung-yoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.