Tablo: My 16-year-old daughter sounds more intellectual than me

Epik High's Tablo shared an interesting anecdote regarding his 16-year-old daughter Haru Lee's exceptional English proficiency and linguistic sense. In particular, he drew attention by explaining that despite never having visited the United Kingdom, she naturally uses a British accent when conversing with friends her age.

On the 15th, Tablo engaged in a conversation about English accents with singer John Park in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel. In the video titled "John Park Looks Like DJ Tukutz but Is Much Smarter," the two discussed the differences in pronunciation and accent found in different English-speaking cultures, eventually expanding the topic to the language acquisition of their children.

During the conversation, John Park introduced his young daughter, saying, "She turns three next month. Her name is Avery." When Tablo asked if it might still be difficult to have a proper conversation with her at that age, John Park replied, "She talks, but to call it a conversation is a bit..."

At that point, Tablo naturally brought up the story of his daughter Haru's growth. He stated, "My daughter is 16. We have proper conversations," adding, "Most of the time, my daughter sounds more intellectual than me."

From a father's perspective, he did more than just boast about his daughter's linguistic abilities; he honestly conveyed the impression he gets during actual conversations. Given that Tablo is someone well-acquainted with English-speaking education and culture, his remarks led to interest in the linguistic skills Haru has acquired during her growth process.

It wasn't just Haru's English proficiency that caught Tablo's attention. He also mentioned the unique accent his daughter uses.

Tablo remarked, "There is one strange thing; kids that age speak with a British accent even though they have never been to London or the United Kingdom. For some reason, she does that when she's on the phone with friends. And she's really good at it."

He continued, "I think it started in the Western United States, but suddenly kids started speaking with British accents. I think those kids probably realized it too—that if they speak like that, they sound 1.5 times smarter," drawing laughter with his joke.

English accent and pronunciation are areas influenced by a speaker's cultural environment, media consumption, and the linguistic habits of peer groups, going beyond simple linguistic accuracy. Especially among English-speaking youth, specific regional accents or expressions spread rapidly through digital media such as YouTube, online content, music, dramas, and games, rather than just through school or home. Tablo's mention can be seen as an example showing that the way today's youth acquire language has changed significantly compared to the past, moving beyond Haru's individual unique linguistic habit.

Haru has already been a familiar figure to the public since her childhood. As the daughter of Tablo and actress Kang Hye-jung, Haru became known as her growth alongside her parents was revealed several times. In particular, she garnered viewers' interest through her appearance on the KBS 2TV variety program "The Return of Superman," where she showed a more mature way of speaking and a unique personality compared to her peers.

As time passed, Haru moved away from her parents' broadcasting activities and established herself as a teenager preparing for her growth process and career path. Tablo's recent revelation that she is preparing for the SAT and AP exams in relation to her preparations for entering a university in the United States also drew interest in the same context.

SAT is a standardized test widely used in the United States university admission process, and AP is a system where students complete and are evaluated on college-level curriculum during high school. For students aiming to enter universities in the United States, such academic history and exam preparation can be major elements of the admissions process, alongside school grades and extracurricular activities.

Therefore, Tablo's remarks are meaningful in terms of the growth process, rather than being consumed merely as "a celebrity's child bragging about English." This is because it reveals the fact that Haru, who has grown up in an environment spanning both English-speaking culture and Korean popular culture since childhood, has now reached the stage of 16 years old and is concretely preparing for her academics and career.

Tablo is also considered a representative artist who is fluent in both English and Korean. After growing up in the United States and majoring in English Literature at Stanford University, he established himself in the Korean hip-hop scene through his activities with Epik High and has demonstrated linguistic capabilities in various fields, including music production, broadcasting, and writing. The fact that he described his daughter's English as "sounding more intellectual than me" is a particularly interesting point of this anecdote.

Above all, the image of Haru revealed in Tablo's remarks is more concrete than the mere framework of being a "celebrity's daughter." She is growing into a teenager who converses naturally in English with her peers, forms her own unique accent, and is preparing for the SAT and AP as she looks toward attending a university abroad.

Haru, who was known to the public through television screens since her childhood, has now entered a stage where she is building her own language, education, and career path. Tablo's expression that she "sounds more intellectual than me" is both a parent's admiration for his daughter's growth and a subtle indication that Haru, once a child on screen, has grown into a 16-year-old capable of having equal conversations with her parents.