Girls' Generation's Yuri Faces 'Lee Hyori Copycat' Backlash Over Jeju Life

Girls' Generation's Yuri is drawing a mixed response after a preview of her life on Jeju Island aired on Korean television. Some viewers called the footage staged, while others said her routine looked too similar to that of singer Lee Hyori. A close friend of Yuri stepped in online to defend her.

MBC's long-running reality show "Home Alone" recently released a preview clip showing Yuri's daily life on Jeju. In the video, she starts her day at 3 a.m. Before sunrise, she heads to the beach with a friend.

"I got up before sunrise to make the most of the day. I wanted to do sunrise yoga on the beach," Yuri said in the clip. "I talk to my body and slowly wake it up."

After yoga, Yuri walks to a green Bongo van she remodeled herself. The vehicle is her personal space for exploring different parts of Jeju.

"The van is uncomfortable, but I don't think you can get something special if everything is easy," she said, explaining her approach to travel.

The preview also had a lighter turn. Yuri started breakfast with a salad, but then joked that it tasted "more like kimchi than a salad" and pulled out a cup of instant ramen. She added a piece of bread on top.

"I emptied it all out, then filled it all back up," she said, drawing laughs. She later took a nap in the van.

After the clip went live, many viewers praised her lifestyle. Comments online included "That's exactly the life I want," "It feels good to see her happy," "She looks healthy, real, and pretty," and "I want to see more of her Jeju life."

Not everyone was on board. Some viewers were more skeptical, writing that the footage looked like "a brief moment of relaxation dressed up as everyday life," "a routine made for the cameras," and "a little too staged."

Others said Yuri's sunrise yoga and slow Jeju living reminded them of Lee Hyori, who became closely tied to Jeju through her own long-running reality shows there.

"When I think of Jeju, I still think of Lee Hyori first," one viewer wrote. Others said, "Her lifestyle looks similar to Lee Hyori's," and "It's hard not to think of Lee Hyori's Jeju days."

As the debate grew, someone who said they had met Yuri several times in person left a comment defending her.

"You haven't actually met Yuri in person, have you? She can't fake things for show. I've met her many times myself. She's a really great person. Please take her as she is," the friend wrote.

Yuri is currently active in a unit called HYOLIsu with fellow Girls' Generation members Hyoyeon and Sooyoung. On July 31, she ended her exclusive contract with SM Entertainment after 19 years since her debut.