Disney+ 'Battle of Fates 49', Controversy Over Fallen Firefighter 'Sign Guessing'... Family's Backlash

The Disney+ variety show 〈Battle of Fates 49〉 has sparked controversy after it was revealed that the cause of death of the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the 2001 Hongje-dong fire in Seoul, was used as material for a fortune-telling mission. The production team has issued an official statement to quell the situation, but backlash from online users presumed to be family members continues.

On the 18th, the production team of 〈Battle of Fates 49〉 stated in an official statement, "The stories of individuals featured in this program were provided based on prior consultation and explanation with the individuals themselves or their representatives, with understanding and consent." They also explained, "During this process, we informed them about the concept and structure of the survival format program featuring fortune tellers, and consent for the use of related information and likeness was also obtained," adding, "We fully recognize the sensitivity of the matter and carefully reviewed the related content throughout the entire production process to create the program."

〈Battle of Fates 49〉 is a survival variety program where 49 fortune tellers gather to test their fates through various missions. The controversial scene was the 'Guess the Sign of the Deceased' mission from the second episode released on the 11th, where the production team presented a photo of a deceased person along with their birth date and time of death as clues, and the participating fortune tellers deduced the cause of death based on this information.

The deceased featured in the broadcast was the late firefighter Kim Cheol-hong, who died in the Hongje-dong fire in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, in 2001. Some cast members mentioned the possibility of fire, collapse, and crushing based on the deceased's fortune-telling, and immediately after the broadcast, criticism spread online and on social media, stating, "This is disrespectful to the deceased."

In particular, a netizen claiming to be a family member of the deceased posted a complaint on social media stating, "Diminishing the death of someone who died while saving others," which further escalated the controversy. The netizen, who claimed to be the deceased's nephew, expressed, "I listened to the recorded conversation between the writer and my aunt, and while they mentioned that a fortune teller would appear, they said they would look at who the righteous person was through fortune-telling and honor the noble sacrifice. However, watching the actual broadcast, the cast members were guessing how the deceased died and laughing in amazement. I have no idea how this honors my uncle's sacrifice."