[Dispatch=Yuha] Geoje City has issued an official statement regarding the controversy over Won-i of "Lisenne" and the expression "museupno."

Geoje City Mayor Byun Gwang-yong said on the 10th, "Various opinions are being raised regarding Won-i's use of the expression 'museupno,'" and explained that "the expression is a dialect and colloquial phrase commonly used in the Gyeongnam region."

Mayor Byun stated, "Constructive criticism and diverse opinions should be respected," but emphasized that "it is not appropriate to interpret this as a specific expression with political intent."

He also added, "The indiscriminate spread of content whose facts have not been confirmed and excessive criticism can cause harm to the person involved. I hope that a mature communication culture that considers one another will take root."

The controversy began with a social media post by a PD from a broadcasting station in the Gyeongnam region. He wrote that he was upset seeing "a female idol and a PD exchanging 'nono' in a friendly manner," suggesting this was different from the general Gyeongnam dialect usage of "~no."

On the 28th of last month, Won-i said "museupno" while touring Mina's house on her YouTube channel "Hello I'm Won-i Please Take Care of Me," when a sound came from the closet.

Won-i is from Geoje, Gyeongnam, and lived in the region for approximately 20 years. However, the dialect she used in daily life was interpreted as having political meaning online and developed into an unproductive controversy.

Cho Su-jin, a lawyer and board member of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, initially judged the expression as "Ilbe-style language." However, on the 9th, she expressed an apology, saying, "My understanding of young people's language was insufficient," and "I am worried that Won-i might have been hurt by my remarks."

<Photo source=YouTube, Geoje City>