Amidst the controversy surrounding actress Kim Tae Ri‘s recruitment of YouTube content subtitle producers as “volunteers,” she has stepped up to personally issue an apology.
On the 22nd of May, the actress posted photos to her Instagram account sharing she’s been working on the 3rd episode of the vlog being subtitled in English, she then introduced the concept of volunteer translators but this has since been deleted following the immense backlash in the comments section.
The official YouTube account jointly operated by Kim Tae Ri and her agency also uploaded a similar post to the community page. Due to the severe backlash, both posts were deleted and the agency of the actress ended up issuing an apology for the matter via Instagram in Korean and English.
Despite the apology, many netizens criticized the actress for ‘hiding’ behind her agency who issued the apology on her behalf despite the fact that she posted about it first. On May 23, the actress issued two posts apologizing for the situation, one was in English and the other was in Korean. She said in English,
Hello, this is Kim Taeri.
Above all, I’m sorry for the trouble I have caused. I’d like to express my apologies to everyone I made feel uncomfortable. As I was worried that this might cause further discomfort to many people, I was cautious and delayed in addressing this issue. I am writing this to convey my apologies to those who may be disappointed in me.
I planned my vlog as a way to repay the love I have received from my fans, and I have been involved in every step of the process, from filming to editing to, at present, the English subtitles. I thought that this might be a more complete way to repay my fans.
Since the video was released, fans from various countries, not just English-speaking ones, have requested subtitles in their own languages. Seeing the different languages under the video made me think about how great it would be if they could enjoy the video with subtitles in their own language. But because I was so focused on the idea of completing something meaningful with my fans, I failed to approach the most important issue with caution. Clearly, I fell short.
I should not have approached my fans as if I was asking for talent donations. It was a clear mistake, and I deeply reflect on the fact that I was not aware of it myself. I apologize to everyone who may have felt uncomfortable due to my short-sighted thoughts and actions.
I realize that a sincere apology is more important than anything else. I sent an apology email to everyone who so kindly offered to help with the translation work.
Once again, I sincerely apologize.
Meanwhile, Kim Tae Ri is preparing for the release of her upcoming drama coming out in June on SBS.
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