[Official] KBS apologizes for 'Tank' caption controversy, "Immediate removal of staff responsible for review" [Full Statement]

*This content was translated by AI.

KBS has apologized for the controversy over the use of an erroneous caption on its YouTube channel.

On the 27th, KBS told StarNews, "We apologize for inappropriate captions that could cause discomfort being exposed in our YouTube channel videos."

Previously, on the 26th, a video titled "Sim Hyung-rae almost had to be rushed to the hospital after imitating a tank in front of the commander" was uploaded to the KBS YouTube channel 'Kkalkal TV'.

The video features Sim Hyung-rae introducing anecdotes from his military service, stating that he imitated Hulk in the tray karaoke segment of the 2002 October KBS 2TV variety program 'Happy Together Season 1'. However, controversy arose as the YouTube title used the word 'Tank', which has no relation to 'Hulk'. Criticism intensified especially following recent public outrage over Starbucks Korea's '5.18 Tank Day'.

While the related video has been deleted within the YouTube channel, videos with the controversial title remain on some social media platforms such as YouTube Shorts and TikTok.

In response, KBS stated, "While 'Hulk' was the correct term, the staff member responsible for review failed to catch it, so it remained posted until early the next morning. It was a significantly inappropriate word choice given the timing, and the system failed to filter it out."

Furthermore, "The freelance producer and the staff member responsible for review admitted their mistakes. However, considering the current timing and situation, we judged this to be a serious issue. Consequently, the freelance producer's contract was immediately terminated in accordance with the contract terms, and the staff member was immediately removed from their duties and is currently under investigation in accordance with internal regulations."

KBS added, "We immediately corrected the video title and thumbnail to 'Hulk' upon recognizing the issue, but considering the severity of the matter, we made the video private. We are also conducting a comprehensive investigation into content produced by the production team involved. We are taking this matter very seriously. We will thoroughly review the production and review processes for digital platform content and strengthen pre-screening procedures from the video production planning stage through to upload to prevent similar issues from recurring."

It further added, "We apologize for causing concern to viewers due to inappropriate expressions and a flawed verification system, and we will strive to prevent recurrence."

<We apologize>

We apologize for inappropriate captions that could cause discomfort being exposed in our YouTube channel videos.

On the 26th, the expression 'imitating a tank' was used in the title and thumbnail of a video uploaded to the YouTube <Kkalkal TV> channel. While 'Hulk' was the correct term, the staff member responsible for review failed to catch it, so it remained posted until early the next morning. It was a significantly inappropriate word choice given the timing, and the system failed to filter it out.

The freelance producer and the staff member responsible for review admitted their mistakes. However, considering the current timing and situation, we judged this to be a serious issue, and KBS immediately took the following measures.

First, the freelance producer's contract was immediately terminated in accordance with the contract terms, and the staff member was immediately removed from their duties and is currently under investigation in accordance with internal regulations. Follow-up measures will be taken depending on the results.

Additionally, we immediately corrected the video title and thumbnail to 'Hulk' upon recognizing the issue, but considering the severity of the matter, we made the video private. We are also conducting a comprehensive investigation into content produced by the production team involved.

KBS is taking this matter very seriously. We will thoroughly review the production and review processes for digital platform content and strengthen pre-screening procedures from the video production planning stage through to upload to prevent similar issues from recurring.

We apologize for causing concern to viewers due to inappropriate expressions and a flawed verification system, and we will strive to prevent recurrence.

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*This content was translated by AI.