Girls' Generation’s Hyoyeon took a playful jab at younger idols for not greeting others properly during a recent radio appearance.

On the November 29th episode of SBS PowerFM’s Cultwo Show, Hyoyeon joined H.O.T.'s Lee Jaewon for a special segment called "Hajima!" (Don’t Do It!).

During the show, Hyoyeon shared an interesting story from her trainee days. She recalled how the group would always greet delivery workers with a 90-degree bow whenever food was brought to their dorm.

"We always greeted them with a 90-degree bow," Hyoyeon said, laughing and adding, "We used to open the door and bow, you little brats."

When asked if she greeted the delivery workers out of gratitude for the food, Hyoyeon explained, "We saw them every day. They brought us food every day," and added that they made sure to clean up so thoroughly after meals, "it was almost like we did the dishes ourselves."

The conversation soon shifted to the topic of greetings in general, with Hyoyeon expressing concern about how some junior artists forget the importance of greeting people.

"The one thing I feel is lacking is greeting people," she said, acknowledging her old-fashioned views by joking, "I know I’m a bit of a 'grandpa' for thinking this way."

Both Baekga and Kim Taegyun, who were on the show, agreed with Hyoyeon, saying, "I don’t understand why not greeting should make someone a grandpa," and "I think greetings are really important."

Lee Jaewon then asked, "When you go to broadcasting stations, do all the junior artists come and greet you?" Hyoyeon replied, "These days, no one greets anymore." Lee Jaewon shared, "I was a little disappointed when they didn’t greet me the other day."

Baekga also chimed in, remembering how it used to be. "We used to go to broadcasting stations every year for album promotions. We didn’t let them come to greet us. When the juniors would come in a group and line up, it felt awkward," he said.

"Now, we didn’t know, but suddenly someone would come in and ask, ‘Who are you?’ and they’d say, ‘I’m the PD.’ It used to be that we lined up to greet them, but now the PDs come to greet us and it feels strange."

Hyoyeon agreed, saying, "I also find it uncomfortable when someone greets me, so I don’t let them come up, but I think when we see each other in the hallway, we should at least exchange eye contact or a small greeting," adding that nowadays, "I don’t make eye contact, so I don’t greet them."

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Yoo Yeon Seok and Chae Soo Bin’s When the Phone Rings has issued an apology for the recent controversy surrounding the mockery of sign language.

On November 29th, the drama’s production team released a statement on the viewer’s board addressing the issue. The statement began by saying, “We take the criticism about the improper handling of sign language very seriously, especially as it led to the mockery of the Deaf community and Korean sign language.”

They went on to clarify, “The drama’s theme centers around ‘communication’ between people, and there was absolutely no intention to mock or belittle sign language, which is a vital communication tool for the Deaf community.”

However, the production team admitted, “We humbly acknowledge that we did not give enough attention to the struggles of the Deaf community and the importance of Korean sign language. We will ensure that such mistakes do not happen again in the future.”

The statement also highlighted the role of sign language in the drama, saying, “Sign language plays a crucial part in the relationship between the two main characters as they learn to communicate with each other. Through their journey, we want to show the true value of sign language as an important tool that connects people.”

The production team concluded by asking for viewers' continued support, saying, “We hope you will keep watching the drama and point out any shortcomings you notice.”

Earlier, in the first episode of When the Phone Rings, which aired on November 22nd, a mistake occurred when sign language interpreter Hong Hee Joo (played by Chae Soo Bin) mistakenly used the sign for "mountain" while trying to interpret "landslide" due to a broadcast error.

This led to the sign being misunderstood as a finger gesture commonly seen as offensive, sparking backlash.

After the episode aired, a viewer posted a complaint on the viewer’s board, asking for an apology for mocking sign language.

The viewer explained that the sign for "mountain" is different from the offensive gesture and that using it in this context was hurtful to the Deaf community, as it has been used as a joke by hearing people.

The post described this as an act of discrimination and mockery, calling for a more respectful approach.

Source: [1]