Despite Grammar Challenges, Netizens Are Intrigued By NewJeans’ Minji’s Frequent Usage Of English

Despite grammar challenges, netizens are intrigued by NewJeans’ Minji’s frequent usage of English

Recently, NewJeans’ Minji has drawn attention once more.

The group—including Minji—has been scrutinized as their notoriety grows, especially after her remarks that she had never tasted Kalguksu. This sparked debates among online users over her motives and if she was trying to project a particular image.

Concerns have also been raised over Minji’s comfort level in the English language.

One internet user sparked a discussion by saying, “I’ve noticed she frequently has grammar mistakes in English.” I was wondering about it after reading a comment about it. Is her agency encouraging her to use English even though she makes mistakes, or does she choose to continue using it on her own? Or maybe she’s jealous of Korean Americans?”




The internet user then posted some remarks on Minji’s interview, in which she alternates between using Korean and English.



As these remarks made clear, “Well, Minji sounds correct and has good pronunciation when speaking English, yet it’s all wrong. Even when you view this film, you’ll see that at one point, the folks on the bus looked at me and began saying, “There was starting (???) to looking (???) like… (X) -> headphone (o).” She doesn’t seem to be utilizing English because she doesn’t feel comfortable doing so. Rather, she speaks incomprehensible English while possessing flawless Korean grammar. I figured the two Australian members would find it annoying to hear her in English. I wonder why she occasionally speaks in “broken English,” “In addition, Minji speaks in English that is so illogical that it is impossible to grasp what she is saying. She is fluent in Korean.” and “That’s not how even Korean Americans speak.” They make every effort to communicate in Korean, but when they can’t quite get the meaning of some words right, like “certainly” or “seriously,” which are difficult to translate into Korean, they interject English words between sentences. They don’t start speaking in Korean and then abruptly switch to English for the next sentence. I’ve never saw somebody do that before. If you don’t understand what I’m saying, watch Jessi, Ken Rhee, or Radio Star to see Kang Joo Eun.”




“Do you guys think I don’t know English???” some users asked in their comments. “To be honest, I find it awkward to listen to Minji speak in English, so I skip over those sections.” Minji’s attempts at speaking English come across as strained and unnatural. It sounds forced and unnatural. She seems to be making an excessive effort to be hip or Korean American. She seems to be pressuring English to surface. However, I believe I know how she feels. Having loved English terms so much as a teenager, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for Minji when I witness her struggles. It’s a touch cringe-worthy, but not to the point where I detest her.” “This is like pretending not to know something even when you do.” and “However, I believe that consistently attempting to speak English, even if it’s incorrect, will assist one’s abilities improve rather than remaining silent or just speaking Korean. The company may offer further English instruction, or foreign personnel may offer criticism even in cases when the grammar or sentences are poor. Similar to how we can essentially comprehend when foreigners speak Korean poorly, one can typically understand the meaning even with faulty grammar.”