Lee Hyori Under Attack By Chinese Fans For A New Nickname She Suggested On “Hangout With Yoo”

Chinese fans are outraged.

Following the great success of SSAK3 on MBC‘s Hangout With Yoo, Lee Hyori made a return on the variety show with the strong “unnies” of the Korean entertainment industry which include MAMAMOO‘s Hwasa, Jessi, and Uhm Jung Hwa.

MBC “Hangout With Yoo”

In an attempt to come up with new nicknames to use in their new girl group with their “producer”, Jimmy Yoo (Yoo Jae Suk), Lee Hyori suggested a nickname that sparked much online criticism from Chinese fans.

MBC “Hangout With Yoo”

On the show, Lee Hyori asked if she should go with a Chinese nickname to become more global and proposed the name, “Mao.”

MBC “Hangout With Yoo”

And this has sparked heated controversy online leading to hate comments left on Lee Hyori’s Instagram account.

MBC “Hangout With Yoo”

The reason behind the rage is because Chinese fans believe Lee Hyori used the name of the former chairman of the People’s Republic of China, Mao Zedong, for comic relief.

MBC “Hangout With Yoo”

 

Chinese fans are expressing their discontent with comments such as “Don’t joke about the great men of a different country“, “She used the great man of another country to make a joke out of it“, and “You should’ve used someone from Korea instead“.

| @hyoleehyolee/Instagram

On the other hand, Korean fans are refuting the hate with comments such as “Why are the Chinese fans censoring the show when it’s a Korean variety show?” and “I feel like they’re overreacting to the name “Mao“.

MBC “Hangout With Yoo”

Lee Hyori as well as MAMAMOO’s Hwasa, Jessi, and Uhm Jung Hwa are expected to stir up another wave as the new girl group, Refund Girls on Hangout With Yoo.

Source: Insight