Beloved Girl Group Member Comes Under Fire For Using Misogynistic Slang

A fifth-generation girl group member has invited scathing criticism for using internet slang mostly used on misogynistic forums.

The idol in question is Kim Chaeyeon from tripleS.

In a recent interaction with fans, Chaeyeon was talking about watching a performance featuring her groupmate JooBin, when she used the slang term “Yeonakkang.” 

I saw JooBin’s ending.

Wow…Yeonakkang.

As expected, being young is nice.

That’s what I thought.

— Chaeyeon

The idol also mentioned that she later had to explain the meaning of “Yeonakkang” to her makeup artist.

The term’s origins are primarily attributed to the male-dominated online forums. It carries a misogynistic implication that women in their 30s lose all their sexual appeal that they had when they were in their 20s, and hence lose all value as women for men. The term is an abbreviation of three Korean words, “Yeoja” (woman), “Nai”(age), and “Kkangpae” (literal meaning “gangster,” but in this context it implies “everything”).

But then my makeup artist who was next to me went, ‘What’s Yeonakkang?’

And I said ‘A woman’s age is everything.’

It’s kind of everything to me too…

Even though I have been slowly moving out of that age range.

— Chaeyeon

Netizens were left completely baffled by Chaeyeon’s use of the term. Many pointed out that as a 20-year-old who debuted at a very young age and has a male-dominated fanbase, her internalizing such mindsets could have a long-term effect on her and her young fans.

• “I think it’s because she grew up hearing that kind of comment as if it were a compliment since she was little. It hurts my heart.”
• “Oh no…”
• “A female idol is using ‘Yeonakkang’? LOL. So she’ll be a has-been at 30, huh? Then is she going to retire?”
• “From the comments, it seems like she debuted at a really young age. I hope her female fans help her understand things better…”
• “This is my first time hearing ‘Yeonakkang’ in my life.”
• “On male-dominated forums, they say a woman’s age is like a Christmas cake — so I guess you have to retire after 25. Does she have about 4 years left?”

Meanwhile, another tripleS member recently invited scathing backlash for her controversial political opinion. Read more about it here:

Fifth-Gen Idol Goes Off With Unfiltered Political Opinion, Invites Scathing Response