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JTBC's Workman under fire for allegedly defaming late President Roh

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A screen shot of JTBC's YouTube channel
A screen shot of JTBC's YouTube channel "Workman" shows a term commonly used in a derogatory manner by the far-right troll website Ilbe, in an episode uploaded Wednesday. Courtesy of Studio Lululala

By Park Ji-won

Studio Lululala, JTBC's production company making online- and entertainment-based original series, has come under fire for using an "alleged" derogatory term to describe the late President Roh Moo-hyun in an episode on the megahit channel "Workman," and is apparently facing criticism from viewers and subscription cancellations.

Workman, a YouTube channel with more than 3.8 million subscribers, broadcasts videos about working in various jobs starring announcer-turned-TV personality Jang Sung-kyu. Its Wednesday episode featured the Korean caption "rohmu," literally meaning "labor" in English, to describe the jobs.

However, given that the term has an alternate interpretation created by the "Ilbe" online community, a far-right misogynistic hate group known for internet trolling, to defame Roh, there has been criticism of the production company for allowing "inappropriate" content that some deem is contrary to certain broadcast standards.

Ilbe is notorious for its misogynistic members who openly express their hatred of feminism and liberal politicians, including Roh. They have mocked the former President by coining terms with the word "Roh" in them and using cropped images of him. Using these in public forums has become a kind of trophy for Ilbe members that gets them recognition among their community.

Previously, SBS, came under fire for using similar cropped images of personalities including the late-President Roh in numerous shows, and received warnings and the threat of action by the Korea Communications Standards Commission. The body said the network's use of such images to insult or mock an individual also degraded the broadcaster by diminishing public trust in it.

Some people criticized Workman for using the alleged insulting remark, claiming it defamed the former President, and canceled their subscriptions to show their anger at the production company.

Workman had about 4 million subscribers before the "controversial episode," but it lost about 160,000 as of Sunday.

One YouTuber commented, "It doesn't make any sense that staff who know every single new term being used online don't know the meaning of 'rohmu.' It is obvious that the staff used the caption intentionally."

Another said, "It appears that the production company used the caption simply thinking that it can ignore the audience. This isn't the first time the channel has done something like this."

JTBC apologized for the "controversial content," Friday and Saturday, pledging to discipline staff involved in making the episode; and stressing that it was not related to Ilbe.

"According to our staff, using rohmu in the caption was neither politically motivated nor had any malicious intention. We want to make it clear that we are not related to Ilbe. Studio Lululala concluded that the problem lay with staff in charge of digital content who should have understood the consequences of using a particular caption. This has led to the current situation. We have decided to hold the show's manger and staff responsible, and will take disciplinary action," it said the statement released Saturday.

Workman director Ko Dong-wan, who was assistant director of the SBS show "Running Man," stepped down after the controversy. However, the show's production company claim that this was not related to the defamation claims.


Park Ji-won jwpark@koreatimes.co.kr


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