JTBC’s Hit Drama “Doctor Cha” has addressed the criticism it faced from viewers for its portrayal of Crohn’s disease, which is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease.
The drama is reported to have misrepresented the disease by portraying it as a “bad disease,” and there are concerns that this could lead to misunderstandings about the condition among the public.
The issue arose after a scene in the drama depicted a character with Crohn’s disease contemplating suicide due to the difficulties he was facing. Moreover, there was a character who said insensitive things about the disease, such as “how can you hide this bad disease and get married?” These scenes have sparked controversy and complaints have been filed with the Korea Communications Standards Commission [KCSC]. Over 40 complaints were filed.
On May 10, JTBC issued the following statement!
We would like to express our gratitude to viewers who love Doctor Cha. We apologize for the pain caused to patients and their families with a specific illness episode that aired on May 6th.
The episode intended to address a severe complication of Crohn’s disease in a specific patient, but our explanation was insufficient in explaining that it was not a typical case.
We did not pay enough attention to the possibility that dialogue from a character without medical expertise could reinforce negative perceptions of the disease.
The production team of Doctor Cha did not intend to trivialize the pain and depression of patients. We will pay more attention to prevent any discomfort for drama viewers.
What do you think of their apology?
Source: (A)
