MBC Drama Terminates Contract With Supporting Cast Company After Drama’s Extra Sexual Assault Allegations

MBC has officially addressed the controversy surrounding the management company of supporting actors for the upcoming drama “Lovers” which is set to air soon.

On May 4th, MBC posted a message on their viewer communication center bulletin board titled “Official statement from the production team of ‘Lovers’ regarding viewer complaints about the management company of supporting actors.”

The following is the official statement from MBC:

We, the production team of MBC, take the concerns of our viewers regarding the management company of the supporting cast in the drama “Lovers” very seriously. Currently, there are external professional companies involved in the production of “Lovers,” including those related to supporting cast management. We have confirmed that some of the individuals in question have visited the filming location.
Taking into account the opinions and concerns of our viewers, MBC has initially prohibited the access of these individuals to the filming location and decided to terminate the contract with the relevant company in order to exclude any potential participation.
We will do our best to ensure that the drama “Lovers” can start its first broadcast with the love and attention of our viewers until the end of the production. Thank you.”

Earlier, a mother, Ms. A, who had lost two daughters, posted a video on YouTube titled “Boycott ‘Lovers'” on May 3rd. According to the video, Ms. A’s daughter, B, was a child actor in 2004, but was sexually assaulted by 12 people, including the head of a management company and a casting director. B reported the incident to the police, but suffered secondary victimization during the investigation, and was threatened by the perpetrators, ultimately leading to a tragic decision in 2009. Ms. A’s other daughter, C, who had introduced B to the job, also made a drastic decision, causing shock and sorrow.

Ms. A claimed that one of the perpetrators who had caused her sister’s suicide was currently an extra on the set of “Lovers,” and demanded that MBC exclude the perpetrator from the production. However, she said that MBC had taken no action.

In response to Ms. A’s video, many viewers posted complaints on MBC’s viewer communication center bulletin board, expressing their intention not to watch “Lovers,” which featured one of the perpetrators.

Ultimately, MBC announced that they had terminated their contract with the management company in question.

“Lovers” is led by Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun Jin.

Source: (A)