Senior Staff Member Allegedly Strangles Lead Writer During Variety Show Filming

A disturbing incident occurred during the filming of an art-related variety show, where a senior staff member allegedly choked a lead writer, identified as A, while shouting at them.

The altercation happened on June 30 in Busan, and both the crew and regular cast members witnessed the event. According to Hanbit Media Labor Rights Center and the Broadcast Writers Union, the writers demanded action against the perpetrator, but instead, the production company terminated the contracts of all six writers involved on July 9 and replaced them with new staff.

Furthermore, the production company A not only dismissed the writers but also refused to pay them their due wages. The head of the production has since established a new company, Q, and continues working on the program. The Hanbit Center highlighted the widespread issue of labor law violations in the entertainment industry, citing that wage arrears across nine different shows this year alone amount to 6 billion won [over $4 million]. Many workers do not even have contracts, which leaves them without proper legal protection.

The center also called attention to the irregular working hours and the common practice of excluding workers from labor law protection due to the absence of formal contracts.

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Source: (A)