'SNL Korea' under fire for racist portrayal of Hanni at parliamentary audit

A scene from the latest episode of “Saturday Night Live Korea," showing its cast member Ji Yea-un, right, imitating NewJeans' Hanni / Screenshot from SNL Korea

Coupang Play’s comedy show, “Saturday Night Live (SNL) Korea,” sparked controversy over racism due to a recent sketch parodying K-pop group NewJeans' Vietnamese Australian member Hanni during a parliamentary audit.

In the latest episode, hosted by actor Kim Eui-sung, one of the featured skits reenacted a National Assembly audit held last Tuesday that addressed workplace bullying and systemic discrimination involving Hanni and her agency’s parent company, HYBE.

Cast member Ji Yea-un portrayed the K-pop singer, donning the outfit and hairstyle that Hanni wore for her buzzworthy cover performance of “Blue Coral Reef” in July. Mimicking Hanni's accent, the actor said, "I came to attend because I was subjected to workplace harassment." She then continued in broken Korean, stating, "I met and said 'Hi' to an employee from another team, but the superior said, 'Just ignore her.' And I was very sad."

Kim portrayed Jung In-sub, head of Hanwha Ocean's shipyard on Geoje Island, who faced criticism after taking a selfie with Hanni during the audit.

Following the episode's release, many viewers criticized the parody as inappropriate, arguing that using the audit as comedic material trivialized the serious issue of workplace discrimination.

“(The audit) addressed the plight of workers in the blind spots of labor law who lack protection. A foreign national bravely came forward to her non-native country's parliamentary audit and spoke up,” wrote an online user. “Hanni spoke maturely throughout ... How lowbrow is it to mock her courage? It’s outrageous.”

Others pointed out the insensitivity of mocking Hanni's accent and broken grammar, labeling it as a form of racism.

“It’s 2024 now. I wish they would stop mocking foreigners' language skills,” wrote another user.

Another user said, “If a Korean person was seriously testifying at a U.S. congressional hearing and American SNL parodied it in this superficial way, it would’ve made headlines.”

Hanni’s fans are taking further action by attempting to start a petition against the show. Some have reported the program to the Korea Communications Standards Commission for violating broadcasting regulations by mocking a specific individual. They are also sharing methods for filing complaints with the commission, encouraging others to join their efforts.

Despite the criticism, some defended the show, arguing that there was nothing wrong with the sketch and that people should respect freedom of speech.

“If we can't even parody things like that, it's practically the same as having no freedom of expression. You can express personal dislike, but it’s wrong to say it should be legally banned. This is not a communist country,” a user wrote online.

The episode also came under fire for another skit, mocking author Han Kang, Korea's first Nobel Prize in Literature winner, for her acceptance speech.

"SNL Korea" has not yet responded to the criticism.