Popular Male Celebrity Insults Fallen Police Officer, Issues Apology
A popular male celebrity is facing national condemnation after making a disrespectful remark about a police officer who died on the line of duty.
Broadcaster Jun Hyun Moo, the celebrity in question, made the remark during a recent episode of the Disney+ variety show, Battle of Fates. It is a survival show where 49 fortune tellers complete various missions to test their own fates.
On February 23, the National Police Workers’ Union (NPU) released a statement expressing their “anger and devastation” at the cast and crew of Battle of Fates for using the slang term “kalppang” while referring to fallen police officer Lee Jae Hyun.
The incident occurred in the episode broadcast on February 11, in which the fortune tellers were told to determine the cause of death of the deceased by analyzing their birth charts and the dates of death. This included Kim Cheol Hong, a firefighter who passed away on the line of duty during the 2001 Hongje-dong arson case, and fallen police officer Lee Jae Hyun.
While analyzing Lee’s case, a fortune teller said, “Don’t we often use the word ‘kalppang’ to refer to stabbing? I can see them getting stabbed too…” Jun Hyun Moo, who is the MC of the show, repeated her words, stating, “A person in uniform being ‘kalppang’-ed? That’s too direct, isn’t it?”
The Korean Police Service Association (KPSA) also criticized the use of such a harsh slang for Lee Jae Hyun, adding that it had “driven a nail into the hearts of 140,000 police officers.” They pointed out how utterly insulting it was to use a gang-related slang for a police officer who gave his life for his duty. To use the term to elicit laughter was even more disrespectful, and the KPSA labeled it “betrayal of humanity and a clear secondary harm to the deceased and their families.”
After the NPU and KPSA’s statements, Jun Hyun Moo’s agency, SM C&C, issued a public apology. In their public statement, the agency said, “We feel a heavy sense of responsibility for the hurt caused to the deceased and their families by certain expressions used in the broadcast. Regardless of the context, we should have been more cautious in mentioning the deceased.”
The agency also admitted that Jun Hyun Moo’s actions were insensitive, adding that they would conduct internal reviews to ensure stricter standards and a sense of responsibility in future broadcasts.
