The Chuseok special of JTBC's entertainment program "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator," featuring President Lee Jae-myung and his wife, Kim Hea-kyung, has been delayed by one day from the originally scheduled date and will air on the night of the 6th.
According to JTBC, the Chuseok special of "Please Take Care of My Refrigerator," which had been scheduled for 5th, has been rescheduled to 10 p.m. on the 6th.
In the Chuseok special, President Lee and Ms. Kim will appear and present K-food made directly with seasonal ingredients, sharing stories of holiday tables.
However, the presidential office is said to have requested a broadcast delay in consideration of the mourning mood after a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official in charge of responding to the computer network disruption died in the aftermath of the recent National Information Resources Service (NIRS) fire.
Earlier, Kim Nam-joon, Spokesperson for the presidential office, said on 4th, "We have politely requested that the airing of JTBC's Chuseok special of 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,' in which the president and his spouse appeared, be postponed," adding, "The government is currently observing a period of mourning across all ministries."
In political circles, controversy continues over the presidential couple's appearance on an entertainment program.
According to the presidential office, after visiting the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly and returning to Korea, President Lee received reports on the fire situation starting on the night of the 26th of last month and ordered necessary measures. On the 27th of last month, a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) was held, presided over by the prime minister. The fire was completely extinguished at 6 p.m. the same day.
The next day, on the 28th of last month at 10:50 a.m., President Lee received briefings from the three senior secretaries of the presidential office, the head of the crisis management center, the head of the national situation room, and the Spokesperson at an emergency countermeasures meeting and discussed responses. In this meeting, President Lee instructed that a CDSCH meeting be held that afternoon.
Then, the presidential couple recorded the JTBC program "Naengbuhae." Afterward, at 5:30 p.m., he presided over the CDSCH meeting.
Jang Dong-hyeok, leader of the People Power Party, said in a post on Facebook on 5th, "I wonder what they were thinking filming entertainment in a situation where a serious national disaster had occurred."
Rep. Joo Jin-woo of the same party wrote on Facebook, "Around the time of the entertainment filming was the golden time for early stabilization, only 18 hours after the fire was extinguished," adding, "The first Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on Sept. 28 was set for the late 5:30 p.m., pushed back by 'Naengbuhae.'"
He also argued regarding the death of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety official who oversaw the team in charge of the national computer network disruption, "An official lost their life due to overnight restoration orders and the president's browbeating to cover himself. It is an occupational accident."
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, said on Facebook, "When Rep. Joo Jin-woo raised the issue, Kang Yu-jung, Spokesperson for the presidential office, threatened by saying, 'A clear spread of false information! We are pursuing legal action,'" adding, "Witnessing this brazen behavior, I submitted a report to the Democratic Police Box demanding Kang's dismissal."
Chief Spokesperson Park Soo-hyun said in a written briefing on the 5th, "We express strong regret to the People Power Party, which continues black propaganda with false information about the president even during Chuseok."
Regarding Rep. Joo, the office said, "We can only be distressed by the eagerness to use not only a national crisis but even the deceased public official as a tool for political strife." The Democratic Party filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Rep. Joo on charges of defamation by publicly alleging false information.