Was SISTAR’s Hyolyn Really Being Rude to T-ara’s So Yeon?

“You can just get a tan,” SISTAR’s Hyolyn told T-ara’s So Yeon when she said she was jealous of SISTAR’s tanned skin.

The problem with this seemingly reasonable sentence was that Hyolyn didn’t use the polite form of speech in Korean. 

So Yeon is not only three years older than Hyolyn, she’s also a senior. The comment thus sparked controversy soon after it aired, with some saying that Hyolyn was rude when she spoke to So Yeon without using the polite form of speech.

The spoken sentence, however, wasn’t as bad in the broadcast as it looked in text

The conversation in question aired on the July 14 broadcast of KBS2’s Entertainment Weekly. T-ara and SISTAR were asked to talk about what they envy in the other group.

SISTAR’s Soyou started off by saying, “T-ara has beauty that our group doesn’t have.”

T-ara’s So Yeon added, however, that she was “jealous of SISTAR’s looks.”

At this the SISTAR members opened their eyes wide in surprise and asked why, because they believed that T-ara was more beautiful than them.

So Yeon then explained, “I’m jealous of your tanned skin,” to which Hyolyn answered, “You can just get a tan.” Hyolyn probably meant that you’re born with beauty, but you can always get tanned skin through a simple suntan.

There was a need to be more careful and polite although the mood wasn’t that serious in front of the camera, but some are saying that others are taking the matter too far, going off witch hunting and branding SISTAR as a ‘rude junior group’.

Netizens have been debating the matter, leaving comments such as, ‘I didn’t feel anything weird, nor did I hear them use that form of speech’, ‘Where did this debate come from?’, ‘Don’t go witch hunting. Watch the video’, ‘They’re still celebrities; they should be more careful in front of the camera’ and ‘Hyolyn uses that form of speech a lot, so people may be more sensitive to it.’

Photo credit: KBS2