SOURCE: [공식] '운명전쟁49' 측, 순직 소방관 유가족 논란에…"모든 에피소드, 기본적 동의 구해, 진행 내용 제작진 확인 중"
Production team of 'Battle of Fates 49' is currently preparing an official statement amid controversy over fortune-reading a fallen firefighter.
On the 18th, a representative from Disney+ 'Battle of Fates 49' told Sports Chosun, "It is true that we obtained basic consents for all episodes. However, we are currently checking with the production team regarding the details of the issues raised and how the overall process was carried out."
In the episode released on the 11th, 49 fortune tellers including shamans, saju readers, tarot readers, and face readers competed in various missions in a survival-show format. In Episode 2, the production team provided only a photo, time of birth, and time of death of the late firefighter Kim Cheolhong and asked the participants to guess the cause of his death. Firefighter Kim Cheolhong passed away in the line of duty at a fire scene in Hongje-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, in 2001. During the broadcast, some participants guessed the details of his death as if telling a fortune. One shaman presumed he died in a fire, while another participant mentioned the possibility of a building collapse or being crushed. In reality, firefighter Kim Cheolhong passed away after being trapped under a structure that collapsed due to the fire.
After the scene was aired, A, an individual identifying themselves as the deceased's nephew, posted online, "Did they truly obtain the family's consent to use his photo and birth time like this?" and the controversy quickly grew. A stated that the family agreed to the appearance because they were told it was a documentary about heroes, not a variety show. A stated, "But when I watched the broadcast, they were guessing how he died, and the casts seemed to be amazed and were laughing."
On the 18th, A issued another statement, saying, "Thank you for the attention. The production team says this show was made to honor his noble sacrifice, but honestly, I don't understand at all. I don't see how this show serves any benefit to the public." A added, "As anyone who watched the show knows, the shamans were guessing how my uncle died and the panelists were using provocative wording and reactions. Watching that made me extremely angry. If your family died in the line of duty and a show portrayed it like that, who wouldn't be upset?"
Additionally, A pointed out, "I listened to the recorded phone call between the writer of the show and my aunt. They did mention that shamans would appear and that they would use saju to look into what kind of person he was and honor his noble sacrifice. But in the actual broadcast, they were guessing how he died and the cast were reacting with amazement and laughter." A added, "I don't see how this honors my uncle's sacrifice at all. I don't understand why they would treat the death of someone who died saving others this way. Even now, 25 years later, my family still cries whenever we talk about him. I'm very angry."
