"Move Aside, Filming in Progress"… 'Camera Power Abuse' Controversy Hits University Campuses

"Web Variety Show 'Jeon Gwaja' Production Team Accused of Coercion" Controversy
"Control Prevented Students from Talking in Student Union Building"
Production Team Finally Apologizes "Sorry for the Inconvenience"

The production team of the web entertainment show 'Jeongwaja: The Man Who Changes Majors Every Day' (hereafter 'Jeongwaja'), which experiences major classes while touring universities, eventually apologized after a series of student eyewitness accounts claimed that the staff directed the site with a coercive attitude.

On the 6th, the production team stated through the YouTube channel 'ootb STUDIO', "We apologize for causing inconvenience in passage due to the production team," and "We sincerely apologize."

Photo by Web Entertainment 'Jeon Gwaja: The Man Who Commits a Crime Every Day' Provided

The controversy over coercive direction on site began with the episode filmed at Korea University’s Department of Philosophy, released the previous day. In this video, a netizen who identified themselves as a current student at Korea University commented, "I do not understand the behavior of the staff during the filming at Korea University," and added, "In the middle of Jeongwaja, there is a part where they filmed while eating at the student union cafeteria, but at that time, the staff prevented students who were trying to use the student union normally from entering and even told them not to talk to each other."

They continued, "The staff’s actions were more severe than expected, and they restricted students to the extent that it was unpleasant," and wrote, "I believe that students who attend school normally and live their school life come first, and this filming should never come first."

As comments expressing agreement poured in, the controversy grew. There was also a post saying, "I asked students attending Yonsei University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, etc., and they said it was even worse there." In response, the production team issued an apology to calm the situation.

The production team claimed, "While filming 'Jeongwaja,' we make every effort not to cause inconvenience to students when participating in classes and using school facilities," and explained, "In outdoor spaces, we do not block passage, and in narrow indoor filming, for safety reasons, we sometimes ask for understanding and control the crowd to prevent congestion. During the filming at the Korea University student cafeteria, a sudden large crowd gathered in a limited space, and to address safety issues such as on the stairs, we temporarily controlled passage, which caused inconvenience."

They also said, "To capture the most realistic student appearance as university students, we asked those who cheered for the cast or requested photos to refrain as much as possible. If anyone felt uncomfortable with our staff’s words or actions during this process, we sincerely apologize."

"Not only during this Korea University filming but also during previous university shoots, if anyone experienced inconvenience, we apologize belatedly," they expressed regret for earlier content and promised, "We know very well that we must not interfere with passage or university life for any reason due to filming, so we will strive to improve these aspects further in future filming processes."

The anger of the current students did not subside easily. Although the production team said, "We temporarily asked for understanding and controlled the crowd to prevent congestion for students’ safety," students claimed, "While filming, they blocked students who came to eat at the cafeteria, causing those who could not enter to be pushed back, resulting in crowding." Some students showed even more outrage, calling the apology "a cleverly twisted statement."