Disney+ 'Fate War' still hasn't solved its homework even in its second week after release. The parts that did not edit Park Na-rae, who has been embroiled in allegations of abusive behavior and other issues, and the part that used the signature of a fallen firefighter as material for a fortune-telling mission provoked controversy.
On the 11th, Disney+ 'Fate War 49' was first released. 'Fate War 49' is a work in which 49 destiny diviners gather to test their fates through various missions in a possessed-style survival, and Jun Hyun-moo, Park Na-rae, Park Haseon, Shin Dong and Kang Ji-yeong appear as MCs.
'Fate War 49' hit a wall even before airing due to controversy over Park Na-rae, who was embroiled in allegations of abusive behavior and illegal medical procedures. However, the 'Fate War 49' side decided to go ahead with the broadcast without editing Park Na-rae. That seemed to open the way for Park Na-rae's return to broadcasting, but Park Na-rae's side said little, saying, "There are matters currently unfolding that need to be resolved, so resolving those matters is the top priority," and declined to discuss a comeback.
Because the program centers on shamans and the panelists have relatively less exposure, 'Fate War 49' proceeded with the broadcast despite the Park Na-rae risk, but it faced another controversy immediately after the first release. It provoked controversy by presenting the signature of a fallen firefighter as a mission.
In episode 2's 'guessing the sign of the deceased,' the deceased presented was fire brigade sergeant Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the line of duty at the Hongje-dong fire scene in Seodaemun District, Seoul, in 2001. The production team presented the deceased's photo, time alive, and time of death as clues, and the shamans deduced the cause of death based on them.
Using a fallen firefighter as material for fortune-telling provoked frowns. The shamans' expressions that showed no respect for the deceased and the panelists' reactions added to the discomfort, and the production team hid behind the phrase, 'The opinions of the performers participating in this program are personal views and do not represent the position of the producer or the provider of the program. Also, the personal stories that appear in this program were all voluntarily provided with consent.'
Amid viewers' criticism, A, who identified himself as the nephew of fire brigade sergeant Kim Cheol-hong, claimed, "I understand that the 'Fate War 49' production team initially explained it as a documentary intended to deal with heroes or martyrs who worked for Korea, so [the bereaved family] consented. I checked with the deceased's older sister. She said she gave consent, but it wasn't for that kind of shaman content. She was embarrassed. If it had been like that, she wouldn't have agreed. At that time, his fellow firefighters even contacted the bereaved families and said, 'I'm upset that my face is used in something like that.'"
In response, the 'Fate War 49' side emphasized once again, "The personal stories that appear in this program were provided with understanding and consent based on prior consultation and explanation with the person involved or their representative such as a family member," and added an official statement: "In this process, we explained the planning intention and composition that it is a survival-format program featuring fortune-tellers appearing, and consent for providing related information and using likenesses was also obtained. The production team fully recognized the sensitivity of the matter and carefully reviewed the related content throughout the production process when producing the program."
'Fate War 49' will release episodes 5 through 7 today (the 18th). It remains to be seen whether 'Fate War 49,' which accumulated negative issues such as unedited Park Na-rae and allegations of desecrating the deceased, will achieve a turnaround in the remaining episodes.
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