Lee Da Hae, a popular Korean actress posted her apology to Filipinos on twitter after a lot of Pinoy netizens got angry with her impersonation of a Filipino teacher’s English accent.
This clip was from KBS2TV variety show titled “Sweet Night.“ Lee Da Hae was one of the guest of the show. The video shows how she speaks English language in American, British, and Filipino accents using the example “Excuse me. I’m a little bit thirsty. Can I have a glass of water please?”
Lee Da Hae stayed in Australia for five years where she graduated from high school that’s why she knows how to speak english. In her apology, she said that she didn’t even mention Filipinos or Philippines in the show and she was not aware that the subtitles wrote Filipinos instead of Southeast Asians. She also tells that she loves her Filipino fans.
Lee Da Hae’s Apology to Filipinos:
On Wednesday 3rd November 2010, @cherry4eva84 said:
First I’d like to give you my sincere apologies for what seems to be a misunderstanding.
It has come to my attention that many of you from the Philippines have posted comments protesting that i was being derisive by mimicking Filipinos when they speak English.
Therefore, in light of this matter I’d like to take this opportunity to clear the air.
In spite of what many people believe, I myself did NOT mention anything
about the Philippines or Filipino accent whilst on the TV show.On the other hand I recall bringing up Southeast Asia and not the Philippines and the subtitles were inserted when the show was being edited of which I was not aware of until it was aired.
The TV show where this footage was taken from was designed to amuse its audience and my sole purpose was to entertain the viewers by coming up with lighthearted stories.
Since the producer knows that i speak English he asked me if I could
share any episodes that touch upon the English language.As we all know every country has a typical accent when its people speak English (including myself) so after giving it some thought, I came up with a few lines where I simply tried to compare different English accents: the somewhat rigid British accent and beginners in Southeast Asia whose English tends to be a little hard-edged. No pun or ridicule was intended.
As an individual who use to take English classes over the phone with a Filipino instructor, I give you my word that even the mere thought of mocking Filipinos would never cross my mind.
I cannot tell you how much Filipino fans mean to me and as much as I love them, I would in no way
hurt or upset them.I hope I have clarified any misunderstandings and once again I am truly sorry if I inadvertently
hurt anyone’s feelings.-i really love you, my Filipino fans..
I’ve watched the video a couple of times and I’d have to say that one of the hosts of the show clearly asked about how the Filipino teachers would converse using the English language. A question that was nonchalantly answered by Ms. Lee Da Hae. The apology needs verification with regards to its sincerity because of the lack of congruence between Ms. Lee’s PUBLIC apology and the way she acted during the KBS show. But, I plea to everyone of you as a fellow Filipino.Let’s not add further damage by making vulgar remarks. Let us refrain from using the word Korean in any of our statements. Ms. Lee’s actions and that of the producers and the other people comprising that certain KBS show do not necessarily reflect the totality of the character of the Korean population.
To miss Lee I would just like to say that we’re gravely disappointed with you and with the KBS production team. Our national pride as one of the best English speaking nations in the world was deeply degraded. Your intentions of making us a laughing stock was more clear than crystal water. It was highly evident because you distinctively compared Filipino english accent to American and British accent. Why would you not have compared our mode of speaking to other countries whose mother tongue is not English? Naturally, ours would have appeared inferior and flawed. The bottomline is youve seriously wronged us. Its a frustrating thing because a lot of our people highly patronize Korean shows.
Guys… I am also a filipino.. And I know that most of us over react because of this situation. But why don’t we also try to look for our own mistakes. We also filipinos commit the same mistakes like what lee da hae did. We also imitates the accent of the chinese, koreans, indians. And believe me we also make fun of black americans just because they are black. We filipinos don’t have the right to judge and accused because WE ALSO are guilty about this situation.
LESSONS LEARNED: DON’T JUDGE IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE JUDGED!!
And by the way only God can judge us for our sins.
Guys… I am also a filipino.. And I know that most of us over react because of this situation. But why don’t we also try to look for our own mistakes. We also filipinos commit the same mistakes like what lee da hae did. We also imitates the accent of the chinese, koreans, indians. And believe me we also make fun of black americans just because they are black. We filipinos don’t have the right to judge and accused because WE ALSO are guilty about this situation.
LESSONS LEARNED: Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.
And by the way only God can judge us for our sins.
@ zero —->>> sasabihin mung bobo mga filipino eh bat nag tagalog ka? so ibig sabihin filipino karin! tanga ka forever bobo kapa at kalahati!!
nakakainit ka ng dugo sa totoo lang ayoko mag comment kahit na galit ako sa bitch nayan!! bat d ka pa mamatay now na! tang inang to naturingang pilipino ka pa man din iinsultuhin mo kapwa mo! tangaaa
medyo hindi nakakatuwa tong babaeng to ha.. apology not accepted!
This is the only advice i want to say to you, before you say anything or any word, just think about it first if the words that comes out from your big dirty mouth can harm anyone, because it will turn back to you, that is KARMA, and please do not try to come here in this country that you’ve insulted,
The damage has been done.
Ms. Lee, you know what? you’re such a beautiful lady, and i was inlove by your look, but when i saw this vid..i feel like i don’t want to see your face again..
it’s not right make fun of other people..nobody is perfect! we all have our weaknesses..not because you can fluently speak english it doesn’t mean you can make fun of Filipino english accent..that was bad!!
you really disappointed many filipino people who idolize you..
P.S i still love Korean dramas!
She says she didn’t know she was mimicking Filipinos, and yet in the show she was clearly told to act like a Filipino English teacher, which she did. It’s a shame that we Filipinos admire Koreans so much for their music, shows and taste in clothes, and yet, this Lee Da Hae girl makes fun of us. What a disappointment.
i hate her too!!
To those of you who hate Lee Da Hae because of you, I think you should look at yourselves first.
Pati lalo na ung mga nagmamagaling at nagpapaimporanteng mga tao na sa tingin nila sa kanila personally dinirekta ang apology, maging sensitive naman kayo.
Kayo din naman tinatawanan ung mga race jokes kung hindi Pilipino yung iniinsulto eh. Pati pag may nagpapatawa na ginagaya ung Chinese/Japanese accent tumatawa din naman kayo eh.
I know that what Lee Da Hae did was rude and it’s not our fault we can’t get rid of our accent but before we hate on someone because of what they did, try to understand the reasons behind the action first and if you’ve ever done it before, wag naman magmagaling >.>
She’s a son of a bitch. Her statement of ‘apology’ don’t answer that show she did. Well…. Everythings clear. We don’t love you anymore
Get over it my fellow men! It’s not that bad. There are more important things in the world…Poor Korean girl:( Ang galing nya nga e! She really justified the Filipino accent lol Bakit kayo, you never made fun of other nationalities. Be real!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let He Who is Without Sin Cast the First Stone
I am an ESL instructor and I admit based on my observations that some of the Filipino teachers can’t pronounce the language very well. The thing is we are Filipinos and English is not our first language. We undergone formality upon learning the second language but please do not discriminate us because even we are not native speakers of the language, still we could speak better than others do.
ohhh…… its that all??
FYI… Filipino people are better than Koreans when it comes to language…especially in English..
even basic English they are hard to understand…and there accent///gosh!!! its like the way aliens way of speaking…
To Ms. Lee, I don’t think that you really apologize Filipinos. Infact, as I read your lines of your very well explained apologies.. More words, more mistake.. and WE also don’t like your manner.. I think that you didn’t write that letter of apology, it just that you ask help from your adviser because it may affect your DAMN carrier..
I don’t believe when Koreans apologize. They’re too plastic. All inside their mouth is just about business and nothing more. I will not accept her apology cause I understand her motive for apologizing. She’s an actress, of course she has to apologize so that not to make her career down, however it doesn’t mean she’s sincere for saying it. And you’re right, if non of us Filipinos react to this action she won’t apologize anyway. And Miss Lee Dae Gaga…look at your fellow Koreans. I hope you know Ryan Bang, who can only say “I lililili like it!!!” Nyayayayaya.
And to think, we Filipinos are more smart and wise than you Koreans, because we are flexible no matter what kind of races we can blend in to. Our children here can articulate simple English word and can create simple English sentence. But Korean kids can’t. You have worst flaws than we Filipinos when it comes to English. So just lower down yourself for sometimes coz it doesn’t mean you are an actress and beautiful, you can now call yourself one of the best. Because you ain’t one of the best..You are one of the worst. And please don’t let us Filipinos start to call you #$@^&!…what you did is not really good for your image..so down..as in…
what sorry can do??ur such a plastic lady…sayang nga lng ang gnda pman dn nya…
the host CLEARLY stated his question… he asked the FILIPINO accent! and now she’s saying that she never heard the word Philippines in the host’s question? oh c’mon! i’ve replayed the video so many times!
@elppa: yes, some Filipinos are racist… but that doesn’t mean that she could insult us… she’s an actress! and top all that, she’s considered as a role model here in Asia! she should keep her thoughts to herself since she has a name to maintain…
ella says:
November 4, 2010 at 12:52 pm
i love you da hae. apology accpeted. no big deal for me
lots f filipinos love you. am one of them
—lol! are you refering on yourself? mgkakafans pa ba xa sa mga sinabi nyang yun? try to watch the actual show, replay it 5times and let’s see if you could still say the same thing!
zero says:
November 9, 2010 at 9:11 am
just look at the comments.. jesus..
bugoka ninyo oie! ngnu mu patol mn jud! grabe ka pikon! as if dli ga binuangan ang mga koreans.. sus..
bobo nga talaga mga pinoy..
she was trollin’ idiots.. over react lng kayo.. talo kayo sa mga troll.. tsk3..
—idiot! can you actually here yourself saying that? saying bogo ang mga pinoy? maybe you’ve forgotten that you’re one of those people you call bogo! hoy dae, bag-o ka mg-react huna-hunaa una imong gistorya… trollin’? gosh, bogo nlang jd nimo sa? or wa jd ka nitan-aw sa interview, react lng ka ky react! duh! mas bogo pa ka namo… if you really have sympathy sa mga Filipinos, you won’t say such thing… what do you expect? for us to shut up? kabalo ba ka nga tungod niya, pwede mohina ang trabaho sa mga english teachers… they are greatly affected so wala ky katungod to tell them not to react! it’s not about being pikon, we’re talking about dignity here, stupid! don’t blurt out things you don’t even know! kung mkapagsalita ka! di ka conscious sa nangyayari sa paligid mo teh! you don’t know kung gaano makaka-apekto sa mga pinoy yun! ikaw yata tong di na dpat mgreact, eh!
@ Ms. Mei ling’s comment about Ryan Bang. i laughed. LOL. But its not even a ridicule coz i find it cute and funny.
so, comparing to how Ms. Lee here did it in that show, can we say that it wasnt a ridicule? Can we say that she finds it cute and funny for Southeast Asians to speak that way? She doesn’t even know us. and for the record, i don’t even know who you are, haven’t heard of you before and even googled to see what your face looks like…
and what fans? filipino fans? does she have any? sorry…..
How dare this girl to mimic the accent of Filipinos.. Filipino professors, as what I have seen and heard from them, have been having a hard time teaching these people on how to speak and write English. They fly here knowing two English words only, YES and NO.. Besides, Koreans themselves do not entrust themselves to their fellowmen when it comes to English teaching. Why? because they are sure that they won’t gain anything from them. from writing down to the proper way of delivering words. Consequently, they fly to countries where they think will help them, somehow, surpass English ignorance. And the Philippines is one of those countries..What this girl showed was a clear manifestation of degradation to our English capability. Even this girl doesn’t know what the right accent is. She mimicked other accents and yet, for me, she failed to do the right accent. Before you judge our accent, try to listen to yours first if it is flawless and outstanding. You have much to learn, girl.. I don’t mean to hurt you but you hurt not just a single Filipino but the entire nation.
Wala akong masabi. Altair, very well-said.
GOd! can’t believe these comment about ms.Lee…. they hated her so much but u know i’m also a filipino & as a filipino, we should learn to forgive and forget.. come on! it’s not nice to call her bitch….. nobody’s perfect!! ms.Lee……..i’m ur #1 fan!! luv yeah!!
Ms. Lee Da Hae, it’s not that I’m angry of what you did. But i don’t think apologizing means you’re really sorry for what you did. Many Filipinos were really shocked and speechless of what you did (including me). I’m just disappointed and that’s it.
I really adore Korean dramas but i don’t think i could now. Filipinos are now accused of many things just like hostages and other committed crimes . And i don’t think international people can see us as their co-people. I hope you’re really sorry of what you did. Please don’t do that again. Because as far as I know, 90% of Filipino people can speak American English well. Though it’s not fluent, thus it’s still understandable.
your such an idiot lee dae hee. how dare you say that nonsense. do you know that 90 % of filipinos can speak english? do you know that i can speak korn? : dow, dow pitchoniya, dow pabo. arachi!!! eat your ass…!!!
Ms. Lee Da Hae, for your information, Filipinos is the number1 passers in IELTS!!! And you know, the word “sorry” is not enough because if it is acceptable, maybe all people who committed sins are not in a jail, think about it….
she can only speak simple English with a “stiff” accent and she’s bragging!!! wow! you are full of yourself woman!
Listen to yourself first and learn to speak naturally before making fun of others.
And.. everybody has an accent especially if English is not the first language – ignorant!
Stop trying sooo hard!
so that’s lee da hae… the lead star of My Girl and Green Rose… and who’s hobby is to undergo plastic surgery… well, what she said about our accent is not funny. but that’s her opinion. if that’s her way of making people laugh, then good luck to her. i hope a lot of people laugh with her.
but I AM JUST LAUGHING AT HER DISTORTED, UNNATURAL LOOKING FACE. i would like to keep a picture of her though, because next time i see her face on the net she might be looking like somebody else. that would be sooooo creepy! hahahaha
.geeeeez , i sooooo hate her ! watta disgust . i used to like her and watch her tv shows here in the philippines . i even remember myself buying a dvd copy of her knovela
.. honestly , our actors are way much much muuuuccch better than those stiff korean actors/actresses .. tsssss her !! feeler much , not because you studied and lived abroad doesn’t mean you can insult other nationality . shame on you , like what they said , look at your fellow korean .. they suuuck !! really suck !
– ain’t gonna watch korean shows anymore =/
she’s trying to put the blame on the production staffs. I didn’t feel any sincerity in her letter because of the unnecessarily deep vocabulary and lie by saying that she is addressing the joke to South East Asia. Although, I’m sure that she doesn’t care about her filipino fans that much or at all. I guess what I’m trying to say here is that, just let it go. It’s not that I liked what she did, but I think she doesn’t deserve all of these criticisms and attention. Only big stars do. It’s just so disappointing. But it’s good to know that she’s this kind of a person. Now I’m awakened. lol
KAWAWA NAMAN YUNG INSTRUCTOR NIYANG PINOY. I’M SURE HE WAS ONE OF THE, IF NOT THE ONE BEING ALLUDED TO. SHE SHOULD BE SO DISCREET IN TERMS OF THAT SUBJECT BECAUSE SHE IS ONE OF A HECK IRREFUTABLY OF GENUINELY ASIAN DECENT. I WONDER IF THE SCENE SINGLED OUT ONLY THAT OF A FILIPINO ACCENT OR THERE WERE A FEW OF OTHER ASIAN ENGLISH ACCENTS THEY’RE MAKING FOND OF. IF IT’S NOT REALLY A GRAVE INTENT THEN SO BE IT. LET’S REST OUR CASE BAKA SUMIKAT PA SIYA NITO.
Americans make fun of the British accents and the Brits make fun of Ozzie accents and American one- and it is on TV. Everybody laughs and no one even cares. But why are you so sensitive- make fun back! At least you can speak English- most Koreans cannot after 12 years of HS and 4 years of University. So, go get them!
So many times I was in Manila trying to speak Tagalog and people would arrogantly snap back in English or mock my accent. Or sometimes they would approach me and speak Tagalog with an exaggerated American accent. Soooooo many times people would make fun of me. I am not crying or publishing maudlin stories on line. You can dish out alright- learn to take it, too.
That’s an insult..Don’t mock Filipinos when you Koreans can’t even pronounce and understand English!!
..what a shame
late reaction. hehe and now i can laugh at this. i would have been convinced if people of not less than a hundred testified that she was aware of the fact that she’s mimicking Filipino accent.
I believe it was not an action intended to offend but like she said, to humor. Let bygones be bygones.