‘The Call You Just Made’ received a legal sanction of ‘caution’ from the Broadcasting Commission.
On the 20th, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (Chairperson Ryu Hee-rim, hereinafter referred to as ‘KCSC’) held a general meeting at the Mokdong Broadcasting Center in Seoul and decided on legal sanctions for 39 cases, including ‘The Call You Just Made’.
On this day, the KCSC addressed a broadcasting incident in which the sign language interpreter in the MBC drama ‘The Call You Just Made’ was expressing the sign for ‘mountain’, showing a scene where the anchor displayed a hand gesture while mocking and trivializing sign language, and decided to issue a caution.
Previously, in the first episode of ‘The Call You Just Made’ aired on November 22 of last year, a broadcasting accident occurred when the sign language interpreter Hong Hee-joo (played by Chae Soo-bin) faced issues while interpreting the news in sign language. While interpreting the anchor Na Yu-ri’s (played by Jang Gyu-ri) words about the need to prepare for disasters like landslides, the sign for ‘mountain’ was repeatedly broadcast. The production team expressed concern, saying, “What if we stop there? It’s not a curse,” but Na Yu-ri playfully responded to Hong Hee-joo, “This is a mountain, right? Mountain? You did well, interpreter. I didn’t want to see you being treated like that by PD Yoon, but you nailed it. Wow. Ah, mountain,” while repeatedly raising her middle finger.
As this scene aired, viewers posted on the bulletin board, stating, “The sign for ‘mountain’ is different from the middle finger gesture, and it has been trivialized by hearing people, causing trauma for the deaf,” criticizing it as “discrimination and mockery that goes beyond rudeness towards the deaf and sign language.” Another post pointed out, “It is wrong for non-disabled people to insult and belittle sign language, which is a means of communication for the hearing impaired.”
In response to the controversy, the production team stated, “We apologize for causing concern with some sign language scenes,” and added, “We take seriously the criticism that ‘The Call You Just Made’ inappropriately handled sign language, resulting in the trivialization of the deaf and Korean sign language.” They further explained, “The drama ‘The Call You Just Made’ was planned with the important theme of ‘communication’ among people, and there was no intention to trivialize or mock sign language.”
They also acknowledged, “We humbly admit that our efforts to carefully examine and reflect the difficulties faced by the deaf and Korean sign language during the production process were insufficient. We will make every effort to ensure that the same mistakes are not repeated in future productions.”
The production team added, “Sign language plays a crucial role in the drama ‘The Call You Just Made’ as it helps the two main characters open their long-closed hearts and communicate. Through the process of the two understanding each other’s language and reaching communication, we will strive to convey the value of sign language as an important tool for connecting people,” and concluded, “Once again, we sincerely apologize.”
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
