'SNL Korea' has found itself embroiled in controversy once again.
In the October 19th episode, 'SNL Korea' parodied NewJeans’ Hanni, who recently appeared at a National Assembly audit on October 15 as a reference witness in a workplace bullying case. In the sketch, a character resembling Hanni tearfully claimed that she had been consistently ostracized within the company but hoped that "if you respect someone as a person, there wouldn’t be any workplace bullying or ostracism."
Actress Ji Ye Eun played Hanni, while the episode's celebrity host Kim Eui Sung portrayed a character modeled after the president of Hanwha Ocean, who had been seen taking a selfie with Hanni during the hearing. Ji Ye Eun mimicked Hanni’s speech in a way that exaggerated her Australian accent.
After the episode was released, some netizens reacted negatively, saying, "Intentionally making her speech awkward and mocking the victim comes off as xenophobic," and "She’s a young woman in her early twenties who bravely testified at the National Assembly—do they really want to mock her like this?" Others criticized, "Do they think it’s okay as long as it’s funny?"
The show also parodied Han Kang, the author who became the first South Korean to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Actress Kim Ah Young imitated Han Kang’s voice, posture, and expressions.
Netizens responded with frustration, asking, "Are we supposed to find this funny?" and "I don’t understand why they parodied this at all."
Meanwhile, 'SNL Korea' has been involved in various controversies over the years. In September, they faced backlash during the Kim Sung Kyun episode for allegedly mocking LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella live performance. In August, during the Jeon Jong Seo episode, the show was criticized for ridiculing content created by popular YouTubers like misstada and Ryu's Penna.
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