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| ▲ This is a captured photo of 'Fire Trotman' showing Hwang Young-woong. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows 'Physical: 100.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Feb. 24 (Yonhap) - Popular variety shows such as Netflix's "Physical: 100" and MBN's "Burning Trotman" are suffering from controversy over ordinary cast members.
According to broadcasters on Friday, Hwang Young-woong, who is mentioned as a winning candidate, has been embroiled in controversy over past assault as "Burning Trotman" is in the TOP 8 ahead of the final.
This is because A, who was an acquaintance of Hwang Young-woong, has claimed on YouTube that he was assaulted by Hwang Young-woong at a drinking party in the past and that he received money and made an agreement at the time. In this regard, Hwang Young-woong has not yet made an official statement.
As the controversy grows, there are conflicting voices online calling for Hwang Young-woong's quit the program by himself and saying that it is excessive to reveal the past of non-celebrities.
In response, the production team said, "There is a limit to digging into individual's past in detail," adding that it takes time to figure out the facts.
"Physical: 100," which gained huge popularity by captivating global viewers beyond Korea, has also canceled a press conference scheduled for the 28th due to a series of suspicions surrounding the cast.
"Physical: 100" is a survival variety show where 100 performers, so-called "body-like," compete to find the most powerful body.
At the beginning of the show’s release, there has been a revelation in the online community that the writer was subjected to school violence by a female cast member in middle school. Recently, a male cast member was sent to the prosecution in November last year for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, and another male cast member is currently under police investigation for assaulting his girlfriend.
Netflix said, "We are trying to figure out the situation after hearing reports that the cast was involved in unsavory events," adding, "We decided to cancel the conference because we thought it was prior to find out the detailed situation of the case."
This is not the first time that the private life of ordinary performers has been controversial. In recent years, as the number of variety shows featuring the general public, such as dating programs, auditions, and survival, has increased, their past private lives have been a problem.
Accordingly, each production company is conducting verification through prior investigation, surveys, and face-to-face interviews in the process of recruiting the general public. Although the cast is also writing a pledge to make statements about facts without falsehood, it is difficult to check the past history one by one unless they are a public figure.
Kim Sung-soo, a pop culture critic, said, "We need to verify more thoroughly through data and reputation surveys, not just relying on the words of the cast," adding, "It is difficult for producers to take responsibility for everything, so we need to think about introducing a verification system or outsourcing company."
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Yunhee Cho.)
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