Global Courant
SEOUL – Breaking the internet in South Korea with its catchy, electronic beats and funny choreography: “Do you know Dr Hong?” is the latest viral dance challenge to captivate teens and young adults on various social media platforms.
At the center of the craze is Jojubong, the digital persona of Korean comedian Jo Hoon, known for running the comedy YouTube channel ‘The Myeonsang’.
Since its initial release in July, the original music video has been viewed five million times as of Wednesday. It has spawned numerous short follow-up videos on social media, showing individuals participating in the dance challenge.
However, the song is not entirely harmless, as it contains content intended for an adult audience. The accompanying music video chronicles the origins of the song’s dance moves, which are based on Dr. Hong to improve certain physical properties.
There have been concerns lately about children’s exposure to the trend. They sing lyrics and imitate dance movements that do not suit their age.
“My daughter said she was annoyed by boys singing the song at school. I understand why children dance to it, but when I heard the lyrics, I understood why mothers worry about children singing,” said a mother of a 10-year-old in Gyeonggi Province.
“But there’s not much parents can do when it comes to YouTube as most kids now access it on their phones.”
An online community of mothers of young children in Seoul’s Seocho-gu expressed concern about the song’s harmful influence on their children.
“The music expresses blatant sexual overtones,” said one user, “and I want to sue YouTube for distributing harmful content to children.”
When the song went viral, even the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs parodied part of the song on X, formerly Twitter.
It tweeted: “Do you know that the toll is free (for the roads) during Chu Chu Chu Chu Chuseok?” on September 14, apparently echoing the song’s line “Hong Hong Hong Hong Hong baksanim”, with “Hong baksanim” referring to Dr Hong.
Their attempt to connect with the public generated both negative and positive responses, with some decrying the inappropriate parody by a public institution and others finding humor in the situation. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
