Disney+ variety show 'Fate War 49' faced growing controversy over a scene in which a deceased firefighter was used as the subject of a fortune-telling segment, and the program issued a statement.
On the 17th, the Fate War 49 team told OSEN that "the episode did obtain the bereaved family's consent," while expressing a cautious position that "we are currently confirming the issue with the production company."
'Fate War 49' is a survival-format variety show in which 49 fate diviners — including shamans, fortune-tellers who practice saju (Four Pillars) astrology, tarot readers and physiognomy experts — carry out missions; episodes 1–4 were released on the 11th. The controversial scene came from the mission "guessing the sign of the deceased" that appeared in episode 2.
In the mission, the producers presented a deceased person's photo, time of birth and time of death as clues, and the contestants' process of deducing the cause of death was shown. The broadcast mentioned the late Fire Sergeant Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the 2001 fire in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun District, Seoul. Some participants mentioned possibilities such as fire, collapse and crushing based on saju readings and intuition, and the program aired the participants' reactions to those suggestions.
After the broadcast, the scene spread on social media, drawing criticism such as "this is not respectful to the deceased" and "is a setup that guesses a cause like fortune-telling appropriate?"
In particular, one netizen who identified themselves as the deceased's nephew posted on social media, raising questions about the process of obtaining the family's consent. The post claimed that the producers had described the project as having a 'documentary intent' in prior explanations, but the actual broadcast aired in the form of a 'shamanic survival variety show.'
However, that post is based on an online posting, and the author's identity and specific facts have not been independently confirmed.
The production team has said it is "confirming with the production company," and attention is focused on whether any additional statements will be released.
Meanwhile, Fate War 49 is scheduled to release episodes 5–7 on the 18th.
[Photo] Disney+
[OSEN]