On the evening of the 23rd, Jun Hyun-moo’s agency, SM C&C, issued an official statement of apology.
“We deeply honor the lives and service of all the deceased mentioned in ‘Battle of Fates,’ and we offer our sincere condolences to their families,” the agency said. “We feel a heavy responsibility for the hurt caused to the deceased and their families by certain expressions used in the broadcast. Regardless of context, greater care should have been taken when speaking about the deceased.”
They continued, “While summarizing a cast member’s remarks, Jun Hyun-moo repeated certain words as they were and failed to fully consider whether the expression was appropriate. He accepts the gravity of not showing proper respect to the deceased as a result,” adding, “We sincerely apologize to the deceased and their families. We also apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable watching the broadcast.”
“We will conduct an internal review to uphold stricter standards and a stronger sense of responsibility, and we will do our utmost to prevent a recurrence. Once again, we offer our deepest apologies,” the statement concluded.
“Battle of Fates” is a survival variety show where 49 fortune tellers gather to test their abilities through various missions. In the episode released on the 11th, contestants were tasked with guessing a cause of death using clues about the deceased. One story featured a police officer who died in the line of duty in 2004 after being fatally stabbed while apprehending a violent-crime suspect.
During the segment, a shaman said, “People often call being stabbed ‘kal-ppang.’ I also see stabbing here,” using the slang term “kal-ppang.” MC Jun Hyun-moo then said, “It’s ‘kal-ppang’ for someone in uniform. That’s too direct.”
Viewers criticized the scene for using an inappropriate expression to describe a fallen officer. The National Police Workplace Council released a statement expressing “deep anger and dismay at the senseless behavior” of the cast and production team for “demeaning the sacrifice of a public servant who died while apprehending a suspect by using the crude slang ‘kal-ppang’ and turning it into entertainment.”
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)
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