In a statement released on Feb. 18, the production team said the personal stories featured in the program were provided “based on prior consultation and explanation” and with “understanding and consent” from the individuals involved or their families or representatives.
The team said it informed them of the show’s concept and format as a survival program featuring fortune-tellers, and also obtained consent to provide related information and use images. “We fully recognized the sensitivity of the matter and carefully reviewed the content throughout the production process,” it said.
‘Fate War 49’ is a survival entertainment series in which 49 fortune-tellers compete through missions to test their abilities. Controversy centered on the second episode released on Feb. 11, which included a mission titled “Guessing the cause of death.” The show presented clues such as photos of the deceased and the time of birth and death, and shamans were shown inferring the cause of death from that information.
Viewers particularly objected after the episode included a fortune-reading segment involving the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the line of duty at a 2001 fire in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
A social media user claiming to be a family member posted a protest message, saying the show “demeans the death of someone who died saving others,” fueling the backlash.
Another user who said they are Kim’s nephew wrote that after listening to a recorded call between a writer and the user’s aunt, they understood the show had said a shaman would appear and that the segment would use fortune-telling to show what kind of person Kim was and honor his “noble sacrifice.” But after watching the broadcast, the user said, the shamans were trying to guess how he died while cast members reacted with amazement and laughter. “I don’t understand how this honors my uncle’s sacrifice,” the user wrote.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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