Disney+ variety show 'Fate War 49' has come under fierce backlash after treating the deaths of a fallen firefighter and then a fallen police officer as variety show missions. As bereaved families, the firefighters' union and police internal ranks voiced objections, criticism over the production team's planning and editing responsibilities grew, and calls for disciplinary action by the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) appear to be spreading.
The controversy began with a mission about firefighter corporal the late Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the line of duty while rescuing citizens at a 2001 fire in Hongje-dong. In the process of guessing the cause of death in a fortune-telling format, the deceased's face and date of birth were revealed, and the bereaved family strongly protested, saying, "Contrary to the explanation that it honored a noble sacrifice, only sensational expressions were exchanged." The firefighters' union also said, "A line-of-duty death is a public sacrifice that the state must honor," and mentioned the possibility of legal action.
The production team apologized, saying, "We obtained consent from the bereaved family," but added, "We belatedly learned that some family members were not sufficiently informed." Yet another controversy quickly erupted. In the same episode, while dealing with the circumstances of fallen Sergeant the late Lee Jay-hyun's death, a cast member used the criminal slang "kalppang," and Jun Hyun-moo repeated it as is while Shin Dong appeared to concur, and that scene was broadcast unchanged.
In response, the National Police Workplace Council took a hard line. "We express deep anger and dismay at the thoughtless behavior that degraded the sacrifice of an officer who died apprehending a suspect by using vulgar criminal slang and turned it into material for amusement," "They reduced the noble sacrifice of a uniformed hero to variety show gossip," and "That broadcast drove a nail into the hearts of 140,000 police officers," it said.
The police council defined it as "an act that abandoned humanity and a clear form of secondary harm" to have described the circumstances of a line-of-duty death using slang used by criminals to elicit laughter, and demanded an official apology to the bereaved and all police officers nationwide, the complete removal of the problematic episode, and public apologies and self-restraint by the cast. It also urged the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to "impose the harshest legal-level sanctions."
As the controversy continued day after day, on the 23rd Min Gwan-gi, chairperson of the Police Workplace Council, also posted on social media, asking, "Is it really acceptable for a variety program to do this?" and said it "lightly consumed an incident in which an officer died after being stabbed dozens of times by a suspect," expressing a devastated state of mind.
Meanwhile, Jun Hyun-moo's side immediately apologized and bowed through his agency, but no further statement has been issued at the production level. Because of this, online criticism continued, saying, "The problem was editing that aired the cast member's remark as is," "The planning itself that used a fallen officer as mission material was excessive," and "Structural responsibility lies with the production team." On the other hand, some urged restraint, saying, "An apology has been made, so excessive criticism should be avoided."
Ultimately, the planning that consumed public sacrifice as a variety device and the overall postproduction editing have emerged as the core of the controversy. As criticism surrounding the fallen firefighter and police officer continues day after day, attention is focused on whether the production team will offer further apologies, measures for the problematic episode, and the level of disciplinary action by the KCC.
[Photo] Fate War 49
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