EBS's 'Pengsoo' Video Sparks Controversy Over 'Ilbe'-Associated Subtitle; Accusations of Unexplained Deletion Mount

A recent video featuring EBS's beloved character 'Pengsoo' has ignited controversy due to the appearance of a subtitle that resembles language commonly used in the far-right online community 'Ilbe'. The subtitle, which read 'Deulkhyeotno' (meaning 'caught'), appeared during a math lesson segment on the YouTube channel 'Giant PengTV'.

The controversial subtitle emerged during a scene where math instructor Jeong Seung-je was explaining logarithms and exponents to Pengsoo. After Jeong Seung-je made a correction on the board, Pengsoo questioned the change, to which the instructor humorously responded, "You caught me being unfair, didn't you?" It was immediately after this exchange that the subtitle '(Deulkhyeotno...)' appeared below Jeong Seung-je's name.

The '-no' suffix has been frequently associated with 'Ilbe' for its use in demeaning former President Roh Moo-hyun, often as a mockery of the Gyeongsang dialect. Critics point out that the phrase 'Deulkhyeotno' had no contextual relevance to the conversation, nor did it align with any dialect spoken by the participants, raising suspicions that the production team may have intentionally incorporated the phrase to allude to 'Ilbe' leanings.

Furthermore, what has drawn significant criticism is the subsequent removal of the controversial scene without any official apology or explanation. The video, released on the 24th of last month, had garnered around 60,000 views and faced immediate backlash in the comment section regarding the subtitle. However, approximately three days later, viewers noticed the scene had been deleted, leading to accusations that the production team opted for a silent edit rather than addressing the issue directly. Many are questioning the lack of accountability from EBS, a public broadcasting service, especially considering the content's popularity among minors and students preparing for exams.

Korean netizens expressed dismay, with comments like "I'm disappointed that even Pengsoo used such a subtitle," and "Is deleting it without explanation enough?" There's also a sense of shock that such a controversy occurred with an EBS content.