Foul-mouthed comedian mocks divorced family

Jang Dong-min, right, from tvN’s “Comedy Big League” on Sunday / Courtesy of tvN

By Ko Dong-hwan

Criticism of foul-mouthed comedian Jang Dong-min, known for frequent misogynistic comments, is rising after he made fun of children from divorced families in a TV comedy skit.

In the controversial segment on tvN’s “Comedy Big League” on Sunday, Jang, 36, played a preschool boy. He sees one of his friends from a divorced family boasting about his new toy and asks: “Did your separated father send you money?” He went on with the joke, saying: “Fancy you. You receive birthday presents from two families. That’s a good financial move.”

Jang’s joke did not end there, as he portrayed a child exposing his penis to his grandmother. It drew criticism that he had made fun of sexual molestation of children.

Jang, right, and Navi from MBC's "Radio Star" / Courtesy of MBC

Jang’s provocative jokes go back to 2013 when on an internet radio show he called women “stupid” for lying to their partners that they were virgins to get more affection. In the show he hosted, he and two other comedians also made fun of women who use dildos.

Criticism of Jang peaked Wednesday night when he appeared on MBC TV talk show “Radio Star” with singer Navi, his girlfriend. Viewers commented on the program’s online site that they were uncomfortable watching him after Sunday’s controversial comedy show.

Media reported that a “Comedy Big League” director apologized Wednesday. He said: “I reckoned on rising criticism following the skit. The program’s producers should have been more careful with it.”