IVE Jang Wonyoung Being Called 'Wife' by Lee Jinho Receives Criticism - Here's Why
Comedian Lee Jinho, 36, drew mixed reactions for calling 17-year-old IVE Wonyoung his "wife."
Here's what really happened.
Lee Jinho Greets Skit Wife Wonyoung on 'Knowing Bros'
On JTBC's entertainment show "Knowing Bros," which aired on May 28, SEVENTEEN Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, The8, Mingyu, Dokyeom, and Seungkwan appeared as special guests.
The "HOT" singers played the game "Look at the Monitor," along with the "Knowing Bros" mainstays. This game is played with a partner and aims to guess the artist as well as the song that appeared on the monitor.
During the game, a photo of Jang Wonyoung appeared. At that time, host Lee Sangmin and Mingyu succeeded by shouting her name and song title one after another.
Just then, Shindong who expressed his curiosity asked if what is it about and Lee Sangmin replied:
"It was our sister-in-law."
Lee Jinho then added:
"She was my wife."
Lee further explained that Wonyoung actually played the role of his significant other during a skit when she appeared in "Knowing Brothers."
When Kang Hodong told the comedian to leave the "ELEVEN" singer a video greeting, Lee Jinho said:
"How are you, honey?"
Lee Jinho Calls IVE Wonyoung His 'Wife' – Why Is It Controversial?
ALSO READ: FTISLAND Lee Hong Ki's Remark To IVE Wonyoung in 'Produce 48' Draws Attention - Here's Why
The segment where the host mentioned Wonyoung was brief, but following the broadcast, viewers expressed their discomfort with how Lee called the female idol his "wife," and the other MCs called her their "sister-in-law."
JTBC's viewer bulletin board pointed out that although they were aware that he's only calling her "wife" because of the skit, the problem was that Jang, born in 2004 was a 19-year-old minor in Korean age (17 in international age).
The viewers on the bulletin board left comments such as:
"If you've done a skit, do you think you can always talk about your wife's jokes? Shame on him, she's only 19 years old, and the ratings aren't good anyway, so just abolish it."
"I'm so uncomfortable with the words of a man about 40 years old, saying his wife is a teenage girl not even 20 years old."
On the other hand, there are also opposing opinions, such as:
"The skit is just a skit"
"Why are you doing this now?"
"It's too much fun."
"People love to make controversies over nothing."
"Korean entertainment is failing because of those who make forced controversy."
What are your thoughts on this?
Jang Wonyoung initially rose into popularity as IZ*ONE's center. When the group parted ways in 2021, she joined Starship Entertainment's new girl group IVE, launched in December last year along with Ahn Yujin.
Following their debut, the six-member group experienced continuous success through hits, "ELEVEN" and "LOVE DIVE," so far.
READ MORE: Is IVE Jang Wonyoung Chinese? Idol's 'Real' Nationality Sparks Suspicion
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Written by Eunice Dawson
