"Tried to Honor the Deceased's Nobility Through Saju Reading"
"Survival Concept Was Explained to the Bereaved Family in Advance"
"Caused Discomfort... We Apologize to the Bereaved Family and Firefighters"
The production team of the Disney Plus variety show "Unmyeongjeonjaeng49" has officially apologized for using the cause of death of a fallen firefighter as the subject of a saju fortune-telling mission.
The production team of the Disney Plus variety show 'Unmyeongjeonjaeng49' has officially apologized for using the cause of death of a fallen firefighter as the subject of a saju fortune-telling mission. Disney Plus
On the 20th, the production team released a statement saying, "We belatedly learned that among the bereaved family members and relatives, there were people who were only informed of the prior consent process after the broadcast," adding, "We sincerely apologize to the bereaved family members and fellow firefighters who were hurt." They continued, "Given the nature of the program, various lives and deaths were to be introduced, and we wanted to use them as an opportunity to reflect on meaningful and noble stories," explaining that they had gone through a prior consent procedure.
The production team also added, "Before filming, we explained to the bereaved family that this is a survival-format program featuring fortune-tellers, and that it would shed light on the deceased's fate through saju, and we obtained written consent from the family member." However, regarding the fact that some viewers and bereaved family members expressed discomfort after watching the broadcast, they said, "We humbly accept the criticism from many people," and added, "We will continue to explain the situation to the bereaved family to clear up misunderstandings, and we will strive to gain the understanding and empathy of both viewers and those directly involved."
"Unmyeongjeonjaeng49" is a survival variety show in which 49 fortune-tellers of fate carry out various missions to test their own destinies. The controversial scene appeared in Episode 2, "Guessing the Cause of Death of the Deceased," released on February 11, which dealt with the case of Fire Sergeant Kim Cheolhong, who died in the line of duty in 2001 at a fire scene in Hongjedong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Using the deceased's photo and information such as the times of his birth and death as clues, the production team had the cast members deduce the cause of death.
Immediately after the broadcast, criticism such as "This is disrespectful to the deceased" spread mainly on social media (SNS). An internet user who claimed to be the nephew of the deceased lamented, saying, "This demeans the death of someone who died in the line of duty while saving others," and, "At the time you sought consent, you said you would use saju to see what kind of person this righteous man was and honor his noble sacrifice, but I have no idea how any of this is supposed to honor my uncle's sacrifice."
This internet user again expressed displeasure, saying, "Even after this situation arose, you did not offer a proper apology to our family or to the firefighters." In addition, the Firefighters' Labor Union under the Korean Government Employees' Union (KGEU) issued a statement expressing regret, saying, "There is a high possibility that this could damage the honor and dignity of the deceased."
"Unmyeongjeonjaeng49" also became controversial in the past for featuring comedian Park Narae in an unedited form, even though she had halted her activities following allegations of illegal medical procedures and abuse of power against her manager.
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