A controversy has arisen over inappropriate subtitle editing on the official YouTube channel of the Busan Lotte Giants, 'Giants TV.' In response to the backlash, the production team has removed the problematic segment.
On May 11, a video titled '[HOTDUG] Responding to Park Se-woong's Strong Performance' was uploaded to the 'Giants TV' channel.
In the video, a segment at 7 minutes and 9 seconds featured a uniform with the name of player Noh Jin-hyuk, accompanied by the subtitle 'Infinite Applause.' Notably, the subtitle was edited in a way that obscured the player's name, making it appear as 'Noh Mu-han Applause,' which drew attention.
As the clip circulated on online communities and social media, some users raised suspicions that the expression was intentionally reminiscent of the far-right community 'Ilbe.' The controversy intensified, particularly because Noh Jin-hyuk is from Gwangju, and the opposing team at the time was the KIA Tigers, also based in Gwangju.
Users commented, "It's disrespectful to Noh Jin-hyuk; this is insane," "This was definitely intentional," "There was no need for 'infinite applause' to be there," "Ilbe is a mental illness," and "If you have time, please report the Lotte Giants YouTube channel."
As the controversy grew, 'Giants TV' issued an apology through the comments section of the video.
The channel stated, "We sincerely apologize for the discomfort and concern caused by the subtitle expression in today's uploaded video. The problematic subtitle was used without fully recognizing the potential associations during the filming and editing process, and it was removed immediately upon confirmation of the issue."
They added, "We take the failure to review more carefully seriously and will thoroughly check the entire content creation and review process to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. We deeply apologize once again for the concern caused."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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