SNL Korea Faces Backlash After ‘Mocking’ Hanni’s Appearance at National Assembly

newjeans hanni snl korea
NewJeans Hanni, Ji Ye Eun (News1, SNL Korea)
National Assembly Photojournalism Team/Kpopstarz

SNL Korea is getting a rap over the knuckles for its parody of NewJeans Hanni. In its latest episode, the actress allegedly mocked the idol’s expressions, speech, and gesture.

On October 19, the Coupang Play show’s latest episode featured veteran actor Kim Eui Sung.

One of the parodies they did was when Hanni attended the National Assembly’s state audit, where she talked about the bullying and harassment concerns at work. There, the idol had the opportunity to discuss HYBE, Belift Lab, and ADOR’s new management for the bullying and ostracism she and her group suffered.

Hanni also urged the company to solve this matter as soon as possible, and aired her hopes for improvements so no seniors, juniors, trainees, and colleagues would experience what she went through.

During the parody, actress Ji Ye Eun, who took on the role of Hanni, wore an outfit similar to the NewJeans member during her Tokyo Dome concert.

Ji also imitated how Hanni talked with a somewhat awkward Korean accent, hinting at the “Ditto” singer’s Australian nationality and Vietnamese blood.

When Bunnies (NewJeans fandom) watched this, they were “disgusted” by how the show downplayed Hanni’s courage to speak up against her label and fight for their rights by showing “racial discrimination.”

The fandom complained:

“They arbitrarily distorted and tailored Hanni’s statements to create dialogue, and by presenting the audit as if it were an opportunity for celebrities, they insulted the purpose of improving the working environment of workers.”

Bunnies are currently scheming movement to request a review by the Korea Communications Standards Commission through the National Petition Center regarding the parody of Hani’s state audit.