Controversy Over Recruiting YouTube Subtitle Creators as Volunteers
Agency States "No Revenue Generated from Any Videos"
Actor Kim Tae-ri apologized on behalf of her agency after controversy arose over recruiting volunteer foreign subtitle creators for the YouTube content 'Geogiga Yeoginga.' The agency stated, "We apologize for causing discomfort due to our shortcomings."
On the 23rd, Kim Tae-ri's agency Management mmm released an official statement regarding the volunteer controversy through their Instagram.
Previously, on the 22nd, Kim Tae-ri posted on Instagram, "Here are the English subtitles for episode 3 of 'Geogiga Yeoginga,'" adding, "There is a new announcement."
She said, "I wondered if there was a way to provide subtitles in everyone's native language," and "I thought there might be hidden talented individuals from various countries who want to jump into translation themselves."
Kim Tae-ri continued, "This project is based on volunteer work," and added, "Once the subtitles are completed, for those who wish, we will include their email or Instagram ID at the end of the subtitles."
However, public reaction to the post was cold. Foreign subtitle creation is legitimate labor, and if no compensation is provided, it could set a bad precedent.
Additionally, the recruitment notice stated, "Each episode is about 30 to 40 minutes long, and translation takes about 4 to 6 hours," leading to opinions that "this workload is too excessive to be considered volunteer work."
Following this, Kim Tae-ri deleted the post last night.
In response, the agency explained in an official statement, "No profit is generated from any of the 'Geogiga Yeoginga' series videos," and "The request for help with translating subtitles into various languages was started solely with the hope that more overseas fans would enjoy the videos."
They added, "Contrary to this intention, we sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to many due to our shortcomings."
However, even after the official statement, criticism continued, saying, "The focus was misplaced." They argued that regardless of profit generation, the issue of compensation for foreign subtitle creation should have been addressed.
Meanwhile, actor Kim Tae-ri will appear in the new work 'Ak-gwi' by writer Kim Eun-hee, which will air for the first time in June. 'Ak-gwi' is an occult mystery thriller about a woman possessed by an evil spirit and a man who can see the spirit investigating a mysterious death. Actors Oh Jung-se and Hong Kyung also star in the series.
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