Released on Netflix on the 9th... No Complete Cut of Kim Sae-ron
Director Kim Joo-hwan: "Minimized to Reduce Viewer Discomfort"
The Netflix series "Hunting Dogs" on the online video service (OTT) will air the scenes featuring actress Kim Sae-ron (23), who caused controversy due to a drunk driving accident, without any edits.
Director Kim Joo-hwan, who is in charge of the production, stated at the "Hunting Dogs" press conference held on the 7th at Hotel Naru in Mapo-gu, Seoul, "We minimized Kim Sae-ron's screen time to reduce discomfort for viewers," adding, "We felt that the story should not be ruined for the hard work of many people."
Kim Sae-ron was prosecuted for causing an accident while driving under the influence around 8 a.m. on May 18 last year in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where she hit guardrails and street trees multiple times. The vehicle she was in also collided with a transformer, cutting off electricity supply to 57 nearby stores and other locations, which was restored after about three hours. During this process, some nearby shops experienced power outages, causing damages such as the inability to process card payments.
Immediately after the accident, Kim Sae-ron refused to undergo a blood alcohol concentration test, so the police requested a blood test from the National Forensic Service. The test results showed a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 0.2%, well above the license cancellation threshold of 0.08%.
On April 5, Judge Lee Hwan-gi of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 4 sentenced Kim Sae-ron to a fine of 20 million won for violating the Road Traffic Act (drunk driving and failure to take action after an accident).
After the fine was confirmed in the first trial on April 20, the next day, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) announced, "The Broadcast Appearance Regulation Review Committee changed the previous 'temporary appearance restriction' imposed on Kim Sae-ron to a 'broadcast appearance suspension'." Accordingly, Kim Sae-ron is prohibited from appearing on broadcasts until KBS lifts the suspension.
The sudden news of Kim Sae-ron's accident caused an emergency for the works she was scheduled to appear in or had completed filming. She withdrew from SBS's "Trolley," which she was supposed to appear in at the time, but paused the filming schedule of "Hunting Dogs." Later, the "Hunting Dogs" team stated, "She decided not to participate in the scheduled filming," and "We are discussing the editing of existing footage with the production team."
When news spread that Kim Sae-ron would appear in "Hunting Dogs" without any cuts, heated debates arose online. Many criticized the production team's stance of accepting the so-called "Kim Sae-ron risk."
The production team cited reasons such as schedule and production costs, but unlike terrestrial broadcasts with fixed annual programming, OTT platforms have flexible scheduling. Especially recently, with additional filming and more flexible production schedules, many found it hard to understand the insistence on including Kim Sae-ron's appearance.
As drunk driving accidents have occurred repeatedly recently, there is a growing social call for increased awareness. This is why a singer who had been in self-reflection due to repeated drunk driving incidents faced criticism for singing on a variety show recently.
In particular, there is a growing sentiment that public figures who live off their popularity must be dealt with under a zero-tolerance policy regarding drunk driving records.
The "Hunting Dogs" production team is indeed facing a difficult situation. However, their decision to proceed with Kim Sae-ron is their judgment and "choice." It remains to be seen how the content released on the 9th will be received by the public and how viewers will react to seeing Kim Sae-ron.
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