'When you hit it, it goes 'thwack'..' 13-year-old MBC 'Real Men' caption also exhumed [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Amid the spreading controversy over Starbucks Korea's 'Tank Day' event, captions from past variety shows have once again come under scrutiny.

Recently, several online communities have sparked criticism over captions from the MBC variety program 'Real Enlistment Project - Real Men' (hereinafter 'Real Men'), which aired 13 years ago.

In an episode of 'Real Men' that aired on July 14, 2013, cast members who had enlisted in the Blue Dragon Battalion of the Taeguk Combat Engineer Brigade were shown undergoing river crossing training on the South Han River amid scorching heat. At the time, the production team inserted a caption reading, "Looks like they're about to collapse with just a thwack" as the cast members were shown laying a bridge over the river. Some netizens pointed out that this expression evoked the 1987 torture death of Park Jong-chul. The broadcast footage is currently available for replay on OTT platforms without any significant editing.

Previously, captions from SBS's variety program 'Running Man' also came under renewed scrutiny. In an episode of 'Running Man' that aired on June 2, 2019, a scene showed Jeon So-min, who was listening to Kim Jong-kook, suddenly startled and choking. The production team had used the caption "Hit number 1 with a thwack, so she choked," drawing criticism for trivializing the Park Jong-chul torture death case.

The reason these past captions are being revisited is the recent controversy surrounding Starbucks Korea's 'Tank Day' marketing campaign.

Earlier, Starbucks Korea faced intense criticism for conducting a tumbler promotion using phrases such as 'Tank Day' and 'Thwack on the desk' on the 18th, marking the 46th anniversary of the the 18th Democratic Uprising. Some consumers pointed out that these expressions evoked memories of the tanks deployed by martial law forces in Gwangju in 1980 and the Park Jong-chul torture death case.

As the controversy spread, Starbucks Korea suspended the event. Subsequently, Shinsegae Group Chairman Jung Yong-jin dismissed the Starbucks Korea CEO and the relevant executive. In a press conference on the 26th, he bowed his head and apologized, stating, "We take very seriously the fact that many people felt deep pain and anger due to inappropriate marketing."

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*This content was translated by AI.