Korea Communications Standards Commission Issues ‘Warning’ On “Unanswered Question” Broadcast About FIFTY FIFTY

On March 5th, the Korea Communications Standards Commission’s Broadcasting Review Subcommittee decided to issue the legal sanction “warning” regarding the broadcast of SBS[034120] TV “Unanswered Question” broadcast about the contract dispute of FIFTY FIFTY on August 19th last year.

At the meeting to present opinion statements, the production team of “Unanswered Question” said, “We tried to handle the opinions of the involved parties fairly. However, due to the lack of wisdom and delicacy of the production team, the was an aspect that made viewers feel uncomfortable during the last part showing the members’ letters”, adding “As a program that has been loved by viewers for over 30 years, we deeply reflect on actions. We will be more careful to make sure such an incident never happens again”.

However, the production team stated, “Before the result of the trial on the contract dispute was released, we already asked for broadcasting permission from the three parties involved (Attrakt, The Givers’s CEO Ahn Sung-il and FIFTY FIFTY members). In the process, we believed that the three parties could reconcile and hoped to capture that scene. It was regrettable that Attrakt’s CEO did not show up”.

Regarding the follow-up reports, “Unanswered Question” production team said, “We received criticism from viewers for not going in the direction they expected, which was criticizing the perpetrator and showing sympathy for the victim. The main lawsuit is ongoing and the members’ psychological condition is so unstable that they even thought of making extreme choices. Therefore, we don’t have any plan to do any broadcast on the issue again.”

Korea Communications Standards Commission’s Chairman Ryu Hee-rim and members Moon Jae-wan and Lee Jung-ok altogether issued a ‘warning’ opinion.

Moon said, “I believed that the broadcast, which did not seem to have maintained a sense of balance ahead of the decision on the injunction, has violated the regulations on fairness. There is also a high possibility of defamation against related parties.” Lee pointed out, “Not properly notifying the subject might protect the informants but indirectly lied to the viewers”.

Chairman Ryu stated, “The program caused great social confusion so they removed the broadcast and apologized. However, legal sanction is inevitable.”

The mentioned episode showed an interview of FIFTY FIFTY’s family members showing negative opinions toward the agency, sparking controversy over the program having a biased attitude. As a result, the program received the most complaints from viewers from January to August last year, according to the Korea Communications Standards Commission.

Source: wikitree