Kim Ki-soo, controversy over ‘thoughtlessness’ rather than humor and satire

Broadcaster Kim Ki-soo is receiving criticism for his uncomfortable behavior. While conducting a personal broadcast, the character description of ‘JMS leader Jeong Myeong-seok’ became a problem. It is pointed out that it was nothing more than a comical expression rather than the concept of humor or satire. Since then, Kim Ki-soo's crude profanity has also been criticized as being nothing more than a low-level interpretation.

Kim Ki-soo recently conducted a live broadcast through his personal channel. Kim Ki-soo, who was interacting with fans that day, began describing the character using the chicken bone he was holding.

The person Kim Ki-soo followed was Jeong Myeong-seok of the ‘JMS (Christian Gospel Mission),’ which is known to be a cult. Myungseok Jeong is the president of JMS and is a person embroiled in numerous sex scandals and sexual crimes. Kim Ki-su held a chicken bone between his lips and continued, "Heaven. Huh? God is me. I am the Messiah."

Some netizens who saw this pointed out, “Why do you copy something like that?” Kim Ki-soo responded to the fans' reaction by saying, "Why are you following me? Because you're a bad guy. Because you're a dog. Why?" Because of the concern that the controversy would grow, there was no further comment or apology.

Even after the personal broadcast ended, the controversy did not disappear. Ms. A, who saw the scene in question, said, "My in-laws' aunt was a JMS believer. She called me a few times when I was pregnant, and when my father-in-law found out, he said a lot to my aunt. Fortunately, my aunt has been going to a good church since then. I just forgot about it. He expressed his discomfort by saying, “I lived in these times, and there are people making jokes with JMS. If I had seen the news, I wouldn’t have done something like that, but it’s so unpleasant. Is that funny?”

Jung Myung-seok was released in February 2018 after serving 10 years in prison for crimes including sexual assault of a believer. The crime did not stop at one time. Currently, the first trial arrest in another case in which a JMS goddess is accused of quasi-rape is about to expire.

JMS was brought to the spotlight again through Netflix's 'I Am God'. Professor Kim Do-hyeong, who has followed the activities of JMS for decades, said that there are JMS believers everywhere in society and pointed out that they are an ugly group that is making society sick. As JMS is involved in numerous crimes, it is currently one of the most sensitive issues in society.

Mentioning a socially sensitive incident only created discomfort. When using it as a comedy material, it should not leave negative feelings in the viewers. This is because humor and satire cannot be completed simply for the primary reason of ‘bad X’ or ‘revilable X’.

Kim Ki-soo had a similar incident in the past. The mention of the Gapyeong Valley murder case caused controversy. It started when I saw a fan's name 'Lee Eun-hae' during a YouTube live broadcast. ‘Lee Eun-hae’ is the name of the culprit in the Gapyeong Valley murder case.

Kim Gi-su, who saw the name, said, "Why did you kill my husband? Do you want to go eat pufferfish?" It was an attitude of lack of consideration for the deceased victims and their bereaved families. In fact, it was a situation where a secondary assault was possible. In addition to this JMS, the disappointing attitude towards the ‘Gapyeong Valley Murder Case’. There has been no apology or position on that to date.

As a celebrity, Kim Ki-soo has more influence and ripple effect with his words and actions compared to ordinary people. If there is one behavior that everyone points out, it is stubbornness, not conviction.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr