MBC cultural program producer made a rude remark to a non-celebrity guest, sparking controversy, prompting the production team to apologize.
On the 2nd, the viewer opinion board for the MBC cultural program "TodayN" was flooded with posts demanding the removal of the "Ozji Mountain Village Episode" producer. Viewers took issue with the producer's rude attitude towards the guest.
On the 1st, "TodayN"'s "Not Good(家)" segment aired with the title "A man who created his own kingdom in a remote mountain village," presenting the daily life of a man who relocated to a small mountain village in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, nine years ago. "TodayN" is a weekday lifestyle information program broadcasting at 6:05 p.m., covering local eateries, neighborhood stories, and issues.
During the episode, when the male guest introduced an earthen house he built, saying, "Don't people often visit for ocher steaming?" the producer commented, "I don't often go. I'm not at the age to appreciate an earthen house yet." When the guest showcased drum skills, remarking, "As you age, you need to keep your hands and feet nimble," the producer replied, "You can do farm work, can't you?"
When the guest showed oyster mushrooms grown personally and stated, "You can't see these in Seoul. I'll bring them when I visit Seoul," the producer remarked, "They are available in Seoul markets." To the guest who prepared charcoal-grilled chicken for the filming crew, the producer responded, "I only like chicken when it's fried." The producer also criticized the grilled chicken, asking, "Isn't this burnt?"
Due to such attitudes, the viewer opinion board for "TodayN" was inundated with complaints. Requests to replace the producer responsible for the episode and to directly apologize to the guest were prevalent. Netizens reacted with comments like "It was an attitude that lowered the standard of a current affairs and cultural program," "Throughout the episode, the consistently rude and unpleasant remarks were very upsetting," "Mocking and teasing elders on the broadcast is the worst," and "Don't cover rude remarks with captions like 'joking city producer.'"
In response, the production team posted an apology and deleted the broadcast video on demand (VOD). The production team of the MBC cultural program "Today N" announced on the 2nd through a notice on the website bulletin board, "There were many viewer opinions that some remarks by the producer in charge were inappropriate," and stated, "We have immediately contacted the guest to apologize, and the video was promptly corrected." They added, "We will ensure great care at the filming site and during post-production to prevent this from happening again."