Background and Circumstances of the Controversy
We have summarized the controversy that occurred in Episode 2 of the Disney+ entertainment program 'Fate War 49'. In the broadcast, a shaman was shown attempting to deduce the cause of death of the late Officer Lee Jae-hyun based only on his photograph, birth time, and time of death. During this process, the shaman used a specific expression, to which the cast members reacted.
In August 2004, Officer Lee, who worked in the Violent Crimes Division at the Seoul Western Police Station, was a fallen police officer who was stabbed to death while apprehending a suspect wanted for assaulting women. At the time, the suspect attacked the police officer who requested cooperation and another officer, and Officer Lee, attempting to stop the attack, was injured and ultimately lost his life.
Korean Police Union's Official Position and Condemnation
The National Police Union released an official statement strongly condemning the broadcast's behavior. The union expressed deep anger at the "broadcast conduct that reduced the noble sacrifice of uniformed heroes to gossip material for entertainment," and strongly criticized the act of demeaning the sacrifice of fallen civil servants with vulgar expressions and treating it as entertainment content.
The police union emphasized that "the dedication of fallen civil servants who gave their lives for the peace and safety of the Republic of Korea is a supreme value that our society must remember and respect forever." Additionally, the union stressed the severity of the issue by stating that "the broadcast neglected the media's inherent duty to represent the public interest, desecrating the honor of the deceased and driving nails into the hearts of 140,000 police officers working in the field."
Specific Demands from the Police Union
The police union presented several specific demands to the relevant broadcaster. First, to offer an official apology to the bereaved family and all police officers nationwide; second, to immediately delete the problematic episode from all platforms.
Additionally, the police union stated, "The sight of famous entertainers and former announcers who are beloved by the public showing approval and enjoyment of inappropriate remarks clearly demonstrates their lack of qualifications as public figures," and urged the cast members to issue sincere public apologies and take a period of self-reflection. The union also requested that the Broadcasting and Communications Deliberation Committee impose the maximum legal punishment on the program.
Cast Reactions and Social Opinion
On the broadcast, Jeon Hyun-moo reacted to the expression by saying "he was in uniform and it was too direct." Super Junior member Shin-dong also positively responded to the related word and chimed in.
Various opinions appeared online. Some netizens argued that "Jeon Hyun-moo didn't create it himself but merely mentioned what the shaman said," while others claimed "the shaman who made the initial statement, Shin-dong who chimed in, and the production staff who aired it without editing should all be held accountable." Additionally, critical opinions were raised, such as "it feels like entertainers are easy targets."
This content is general information compiled based on publicly available materials. For accurate information, please refer to official announcements from relevant organizations.
