With 'Battle of Fate 49' issuing an explanation and apology over allegations of disrespecting the deceased, the family of the fallen firefighter hinted at possible legal action, demanding the video be taken down.
On the 22nd, the family of the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong said to YTN that they are considering legal action if Disney+ 'Battle of Fate 49' does not delete the broadcast footage.
The late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong's nephew, identified as A, said he watched the broadcast of 'Battle of Fate 49' and said, (My family) were extremely angry. Everyone cried a lot. (At first) because it came out so far from the purpose we had agreed to, they felt a great deal of remorse and were angry, and he pointed out, The production team contacted my eldest grandaunt before the broadcast. They explained it as looking at who this person was through a saju reading. But when we opened the lid, it was a mission to guess how this person died. The most important point was to guess how this person died in the line of duty, and there was no prior notice about that.
He continued, After I posted on the thread, that night I received a direct message from the production team. They asked to meet and talk, but we refused. What use is an apology now? I thought it would just be like bowing and accepting favors. He added, I wish this broadcast had never aired. I want it deleted. I really hate that my uncle's sacrifice is being consumed as content. I believe this is wrong. If the video is not taken down, we are fully considering legal action. We do not want a lawsuit because it would be hard on both sides. It would be good to resolve things amicably, but if it cannot be resolved, we are considering legal action to seek a solution.
'Battle of Fate 49' is a survival program that features a prideful competition among 49 of Korea's leading fortune-tellers, including shamanic fortune reading, saju, tarot, and physiognomy. However, in episode 2, released on the 11th, a mission required contestants to look at a given saju and guess the cause of the deceased's death, and in that process the saju of firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the 2001 Hongje-dong arson attack, appeared and drew attention. In addition to the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, the saju of a fallen police sergeant, Lee Jae-hyun, also appeared in the broadcast, and the cast used sensational expressions such as "knifeX" during the process of guessing the cause of death, sparking allegations of disrespecting the deceased.
Shortly after the broadcast was released, A posted on social media claiming the production company did not properly obtain the family's consent, stirring controversy. He said they explained to the deceased's older sister that they were making a documentary about heroes, martyrs and doctors who worked for our country. In response, the production team said, The personal stories featured in this program were provided based on prior consultation and explanation with the person concerned or their family or representative, and were offered with understanding and consent. In this process we informed them of the program's planning intent and structure as a survival-format program featuring fortune-tellers, and consent was also obtained for providing related information and using likenesses. The production team said they were fully aware of the sensitivity of the matter and carefully reviewed the relevant content throughout the production process.
But A wrote, After reading the producer's interview, I could not help but be disappointed again. They said they had no wrongdoing and that they had conducted sufficient review, provided explanations of the situation and obtained prior consent. Of course they obtained consent. But what did they say? 'It is confidential so we cannot provide detailed explanations,' 'we said we would look at the saju of the firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, who made the greatest contribution, and based only on his birth date and time guess this hero.' They said that exactly, but none of that was true. They did not properly apologize to us, and their stance of issuing a one-line article to the press left me speechless. At the very least they should have given our family and the firefighters a proper apology after the situation occurred. He added, When I posted, the producers told me they might take legal action saying I spread false information, but now they post an apology letter in newspapers to contain the situation, which is despicable.
Also attracting attention was a comment posted by a netizen who identified herself as the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong's younger sister. She wrote, On the weekend before the Lunar New Year holiday, I spent the holiday period in agony with a heart that felt like it was shrinking and with the guilt of not being able to protect him. Knowing the danger he faced, he entered the flames without a second's hesitation to protect others' lives. Seeing them describe the death of a firefighter with sensational expressions such as "burned," "crushed," "suffocated" on the broadcast, I could not find the hollow line about 'honoring and remembering the noble spirit of sacrifice' they told my sister. They deceived our sister in her 70s with hollow sweet talk. The broadcaster that reduced my brother's noble sacrifice to entertainment obtained consent to use the likeness from the bereaved family without a single apology. As a sibling who lost a blood relative to an accident, I am only filled with anger. This broadcast should be stopped immediately, she wrote in anger.
Meanwhile, 'Battle of Fate 49' issued an additional statement regarding the controversy and said, 'Battle of Fate 49' began with the question of whether a person's fate can be read. Given the program's purpose, various lives and deaths would be introduced, and we wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on meaningful and noble stories. This is why we chose firefighter Kim's story, they said, adding, Before filming we explained to the bereaved family that this program is a survival-format program featuring fortune-tellers and that it examines the fate of the deceased through saju, and we obtained the family's written consent to use the likeness, name and birth date and time. At the filming site we held a moment of silence to honor the deceased and prayed for their repose.
They bowed their heads and said, Among the bereaved family and relatives, we belatedly learned that some people said they received notice of the process only after the broadcast. We will continue to explain and clear up misunderstandings. We will humbly accept much of the criticism and strive to gain understanding and sympathy from both viewers and the parties involved. We sincerely apologize to the bereaved family and fellow firefighters who were hurt. Nevertheless, despite the production team's apology, the family of the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong said it was mere bowing and accepting favors and said they are considering legal action if the video is not taken down.
[photo] Disney+
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