"Son Ye-jin's 'Mukbang' Smacking Sounds Are Annoying," Japan Stirred

Son Ye-jin's easygoing mukbang has been swept into an unexpected controversy. As a short video of her deliciously eating cheese sticks with long, stretching cheese spread online, a debate over dining etiquette has broken out, and the argument appears to be growing as reactions from some Japanese netizens are added to the mix.

Son Ye-jin recently posted a video of herself eating cheese sticks on SNS with the caption, "Finally ate it.. It's delicious." In the video, Son Ye-jin enjoyed the food with the cheese stretching out extensively. Fans welcomed her appearance, saying she was "cute" and "easygoing," noting how different it was from the elegant and neat image she showed in her works.

However, unexpected criticisms emerged. Some netizens took issue with the 'smacking' sounds heard during the process of eating the food. As opinions arose that the sound captured in the video was uncomfortable rather than the act of eating itself, a simple mukbang video spread into a dining etiquette debate.

The controversy has extended to overseas reactions. Some Japanese netizens shared the video and pointed out Son Ye-jin's eating manner, with some comments even generalizing Korean dining culture. Upon encountering this, domestic netizens were divided between reactions such as "Why link one actor's mukbang to the eating habits of all Koreans?" and opinions like "The eating sounds are somewhat distracting."

On the other hand, counterarguments emerged stating that it should be considered that food sounds can sound louder than they actually are in a video. They questioned whether there is a need to apply excessively strict dining etiquette standards to a single short SNS mukbang video. Ultimately, regardless of Son Ye-jin's intention, the lightly shared mukbang has ignited a much hotter debate than expected.

Son Ye-jin has been continuing her activities through works such as the Netflix original 'Snow White's Revenge.' While her comfortable and human side, rarely seen in her works, has been revealed, this time, a single 'smacking' sound has escalated into an unexpected dining etiquette controversy.