'Fate War 49' producers are facing intense criticism for insulting a fallen firefighter and, following Jun Hyun-moo's 'knife jab' remark being made the scapegoat, for also insulting a fallen police officer. They issued a second apology belatedly, but it appears insufficient to win back public opinion that has already turned away.
On the 24th, the Disney+ original variety show 'Fate War 49' production team released a second apology saying "we offer additional apologies."
Earlier, the 'Fate War 49' side presented a mission on the show that speculated on the causes of death of the deceased through divination. In that process, the cause of death of the late fire service sergeant Kim Cheol-hong, who died in 2001 while rescuing citizens at a fire in Hongje-dong, Seoul, also appeared as a subject of speculation.
The problem was that the deceased's face, date of birth and other personal information were revealed, and, contrary to what had been notified to the bereaved family in advance, sensational expressions were mainly used. When the actual bereaved family of Sergeant Kim Cheol-hong strongly protested, saying "contrary to the explanation that his noble sacrifice would be honored, only sensational expressions circulated," strong public criticism formed against the 'Fate War 49' production team.
In response, the 'Fate War 49' production team issued an official apology in their first apology statement on the 22nd. At that time, the 'Fate War 49' production team released a statement saying, "We express deep respect for the sacrifice and conviction of Sergeant Kim Cheol-hong, who devoted himself to protecting the public and lost his life, and we offer sincere condolences to the bereaved family."
In the apology, the production team said, "'Fate War 49' started from the question of whether a person's fate can be read," and explained, "Given the program's purpose, various lives and deaths would be introduced, and we wanted to use it as an opportunity to reflect on meaningful and noble stories. This is the reason we chose Sergeant Kim's story."
They added, "Before filming, we explained to the bereaved family that this program is a survival-style show featuring diviners and that it would illuminate the deceased's fate through saju, and we obtained the family's written consent to use the portrait, name and birth date and time. On set, we held a moment of silence to honor the deceased and prayed for his repose."
However, they said, "We later learned that among the bereaved family and relatives there were people who said they received notice of the consent process only after the broadcast." Accordingly, the 'Fate War 49' production team added, "We will continue to explain and resolve misunderstandings. We humbly accept many people's criticisms and will strive to gain the understanding and sympathy of both viewers and those involved. We sincerely apologize to the bereaved family and fellow firefighters who were hurt."
But before criticism over insulting the fallen firefighter had subsided, additional criticism arose that the same episode insulted a fallen police officer. In the episode of 'Fate War 49' that dealt with the circumstances of the death of late Police Sergeant Lee Jae-hyun, a cast member used the criminal slang term "knife jab." Host Jun Hyun-moo mentioned it as is, and regular panelist Shin Dong agreed, sparking debate.
Even the National Police Workplace Council said, "They belittled the sacrifice of a fallen public servant with a vulgar slang term," and demanded a public apology, self-reflection and deletion of the problematic episode. They emphasized that this constituted secondary harm to the deceased and the bereaved family. Accordingly, Jun Hyun-moo first apologized through his agency SM C&C, saying, "I feel heavy responsibility for causing pain to the deceased and the bereaved family. I should have been more careful."
However, aside from Jun Hyun-moo's apology, criticism over the production team's judgment in airing parts that could have been filtered during editing has not ceased. There are even calls for review and complaints to the Korea Communications Commission regarding 'Fate War 49.' The 'Fate War 49' production team issued an additional apology, but criticism is not expected to subside easily.
'Fate War 49' is a variety show in which 49 fate readers gather and perform a possessed survival by testing their fates through various missions. <
[Photo] Provided by Disney+, OSEN DB.
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