Jeon Hyun-moo Officially Apologizes for Inappropriate Remarks About Deceased Police Officer in 'Battle of Fates 49'... "Failed to Show Respect for the Deceased"

Broadcaster Jeon Hyun-moo has officially apologized through his agency after controversy arose regarding his use of inappropriate expressions while mentioning the cause of death of a deceased police officer in the Disney+ entertainment program 〈Battle of Fates 49〉.

Jeon Hyun-moo's agency, SM C&C, stated in an official statement on the 23rd, "We feel a heavy responsibility for the hurt caused to the deceased and their family due to some expressions used in the broadcast," and added, "Regardless of the context, we should have been more cautious when mentioning the deceased."

The agency further explained, "Jeon Hyun-moo mentioned some words verbatim while summarizing the remarks of the participants and did not sufficiently consider the appropriateness of the expressions," and stated, "We take seriously the failure to show respect for the deceased."

They continued, "We sincerely apologize to the deceased and their family, and we also express our apologies to everyone who felt uncomfortable while watching the broadcast." They also mentioned, "We will conduct internal reviews to ensure stricter standards and responsibility and will take measures to prevent recurrence."

The controversy erupted during the second episode of 〈Battle of Fates 49〉 that aired on the 11th. This episode featured a mission to guess the cause of death of the late Officer Lee Jae-hyun, who died after being stabbed while apprehending a suspect in a violent crime in 2004.

During the mission, a shaman participant speculated, "Isn't it common to refer to being stabbed as 'knife hit'? You can see the stabbing too," to which MC Jeon Hyun-moo responded, "A person in uniform is a knife hit. Isn't that too direct?" This response became the issue.

〈Battle of Fates 49〉 is a survival entertainment show where 49 fate practitioners test their destinies through various missions.

In response, the National Police Association issued a statement on the same day, strongly criticizing the cast and production team for degrading the sacrifice of public servants who died in the line of duty with vulgar slang and using it as material for entertainment, expressing deep anger and dismay.