KBS’s new web variety show ‘Don Seontae: Era of Success’ (hereafter ‘Don Seontae’), led by ‘Chungju Man’ alum Kim Seon-tae, sparked major backlash after a pre-release episode revisited Lecenne member Woni’s past “Museopno” controversy. As criticism exploded, not only the clip but also existing uploads were set to private, effectively freezing the channel.
On the 29th, the KBS Original YouTube channel posted a pre-release video of ‘Don Seontae.’ The clip featured Lecenne members Woni and Minami as guests in a sit-down with Kim Seon-tae.
‘Don Seontae’ is a talk variety hosted by former Chungju City official Kim Seon-tae, widely known as ‘Chungju Man.’ Aiming for bigger success in Seoul, Kim invites figures from various fields to his rented room in the city to hear their journeys and secrets to success.
The issue reignited when Woni’s so-called “Museopno” controversy was brought up again in the pre-release. Born in Geoje, South Gyeongsang, Woni once used the dialect phrase “Museopno” on her YouTube channel. Some accused it of echoing language used by far-right online communities, triggering heated debate at the time.
Woni faced heavy pressure over the unexpected uproar, and the matter had largely cooled since. However, ‘Don Seontae’ put the topic back on the table by treating it like a key talking point in the teaser.
In the video, Kim Seon-tae asked Woni, “If we talk lightly about the ‘Museopno’ incident?” Woni replied, “I was so shocked. It was just something I normally say, but it ended up on the news and that was scary,” adding, “Since then, I realized I have to be careful with every single word.”
Kim responded, “I can accept different perspectives, but this feels like baseless hate,” appearing to defend Woni. Still, he fueled criticism by asking whether the controversy “helped it go viral,” and by prompting her to say in dialect, “Why am I being dragged into politics?”
The video’s title, thumbnail, and hashtags also stirred outrage. The initial thumbnail read “What’s so scary?” and the title used phrasing that evoked political discourse. Some Shorts hashtags even included the names of politicians like President Lee Jae-myung and Han Dong-hoon.
Viewers reacted sharply: “Why bring up something that had finally calmed down?”, “They’re obviously baiting for views,” and “This basically amounts to secondary victimization.”
As backlash mounted, the production team belatedly edited the thumbnail, title, and hashtags in an attempt to fix things. But the controversy didn’t subside, and in the end, all ‘Don Seontae’ videos were set to private.
Meanwhile, the show’s broadcast schedule has also been delayed. KBS told multiple outlets, “It’s true the program’s scheduling has been postponed, but the exact air date hasn’t been set yet.” The original plan was to air on KBS2 first and then upload each episode to YouTube, but with the premiere pushed back, the YouTube rollout has also been disrupted.
As Kim Seon-tae’s first solo MC program, ‘Don Seontae’ drew attention even before its launch—only to be mired in controversy at the teaser stage, burdening the series from the starting line.