GFriend’s Yerin is facing criticism for participating in the “Dr. Hong” trend
On Sep 23rd, a video was posted on Yerin’s official account with the caption “Do you know Dr. Hong~?“. The video featured Yerin and comedian Jo Hoon’s alternate character Jo Ju-bong participating in the “Dr. Hong” challenge.
The “Dr. Hong” challenge began with Jo Ju-bong’s digital single “Do You Know Dr. Hong?” released in July. The song “Do You Know Dr. Hong?” deals with themes related to women’s physical complexes.
However, due to the non-explicit lyrics and easy-to-follow dance, the challenge quickly became a trend, especially among elementary school students.
But concerns have arisen about the “49+” concept being exposed to young people. Online, there has been mixed debate about this, and Yerin’s participation in the challenge has sparked controversy.
Yerin appeared on the YouTube channel “The Myeonsang”, where Jo Hoon’s main character appears, to promote the new song. Although it was likely to capitalize on the trend, both Yerin and her agency faced criticism for not considering the negative public perception, especially when an idol’s image is crucial.
Furthermore, comedian Jo Hoon appeared as a guest on the music YouTube channel “It’s Live”, which has over 1.61 million subscribers. In the video, Jo Hoon transformed into Jo Ju-bong and performed “Do You Know Dr. Hong?” live with a band. However, the response was cold, and the video was made private. While the exact reason for making the video private has not been disclosed, it appears to have been due to the negative public opinion.
The “Dr. Hong” challenge is now receiving criticism for its “49+” concept that goes against the times. Even among idol fans, there has been a call for “challenge ban”. As a result, Yerin’s challenge video was also deleted.
Source: Daum
