KBS Criticized on Liberation Day for Controversial Broadcasts

On August 15th, the Liberation Day of Korea, KBS broadcasted the first part of “Korean Opera Festival Puccini Madama Butterfly”on 1TV. The opera portrays a love story between a Japanese woman and a US Navy officer, set in Japan. The actress wore a kimono and the Japanese national anthem, “Kimigayo,”was played during the wedding scene.

On Liberation Day in Korea, many viewers were angered upon hearing kimigayo being played on a Korean national broadcast. As a result, numerous petitions were sent to the KBS bulletin board. One particular petition gained rapid support from 8,000 individuals, and according to KBS regulations, if a petition receives 1000 agreements within 30 days, the executives are required to directly respond.

As criticism continued to escalate, KBS quickly released an official statement explaining the circumstances surrounding the controversial performance. They clarified that the performance had been pre-recorded on June 29th with the original plan to air it at the end of July. However, due to the Olympics, the broadcasting schedule was altered and the performance ended up being aired in the early hours of Liberation Day. The statement also expressed deep regret for any disturbance caused by the production team’s oversight in ensuring the appropriateness of the broadcasting time. In order to prevent similar incidents, KBS promised to be more vigilant in their production processes.

“The performance of “Madama Butterfly”Part 2, originally set to air at midnight on the 16th, has been substituted with a different broadcast.”

Despite being a public broadcaster, KBS made several mistakes during the 79th Liberation Day celebration ceremony. These included displaying the symbols on the Korean national flag in reverse just before the live broadcast. As a result, viewers have been harshly criticizing KBS for their unacceptable errors.

Furthermore, “The Origin of Miracles”was broadcasted on KBS1TV as part of the Independent Movie Theater section, featuring former President Rhee Syngman. However, the Korean Film Council classified it as a documentary rather than an independent film.

Despite this, KBS persisted in airing it as a standalone film, leading the Korea National Union of Media Workers and internet users to demand for the program’s cancellation. This demand was also supported by over 7600 individuals who signed a petition calling for the documentary to be canceled.

The source for this information can be found on Daum, available at https://v.daum.net/v/20240815125705646.