The Roh Moo-hyun Foundation expressed regret after captions suspected of disparaging the late former President Roh Moo-hyun appeared on the YouTube channel of the Lotte Giants professional baseball team.
In a statement on the 12th, the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation said it had "deep regret over this incident in which a hate term from a particular online community was used without filter on the official channel of a professional sports club with significant public influence," adding, "Although the club explained it did not fully recognize during filming and editing the possibility that the expression might evoke certain associations, considering that this occurred right after a game against a team based in Gwangju and with the anniversary of the May 18 pro-democracy movement and the date of President Roh Moo-hyun's death (May 23) just ahead, it cannot be dismissed as a simple mistake."
A video posted on the Lotte Giants' YouTube channel "GiantsTV" on the 11th became an issue. The video showed Lotte Giants players celebrating after hitting a single in a game against the KIA Tigers.
Captions reading "infinite applause" overlaid the jersey of player Noh Jin-hyuk in that scene, making it read as "Noh Moo-hyun applause," sparking controversy. The expression is known to be used on the online community "Ilbe (Ilgan Best)" to mock the former president. It was also notable that the opposing team is based in Gwangju Metropolitan City, and Noh Jin-hyuk is also from Gwangju Metropolitan City.
The Roh Moo-hyun Foundation said, "Sports should be a venue for peace and harmony that respects one another even amid fierce competition," adding, "Mockery and hate directed at anyone must never be excused as humor or a mistake." It then called on the Lotte Giants to implement strong measures to prevent recurrence and to strictly hold those responsible to account.
The Busan Regional Committee of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation visited the club's office on the 13th and delivered a letter urging prevention of recurrence along with a protest over the disparaging expression about the former president.
On the 12th, the Lotte Giants' YouTube channel posted a notice saying, "We once again sincerely apologize for causing discomfort and concern due to the uploaded video," and added, "The club takes the current situation seriously, and we have immediately removed from duty the agency employee in charge of the task." It also said, "At the club level, we will manage and inspect the entire process of content production and review more carefully to prevent a recurrence of a similar matter."
Comments on the video included, "It's amazing someone would risk their job to do this," "The PD being an Ilbe user is really something," "Please identify who did this and fire them," and "What are they doing in an official capacity?"