Park Tae-joon Ilbe Rumors Spark Drama Controversy

The SBS Friday-Saturday drama 'Chief Detective 1958' is gaining attention for its high viewership ratings, but a past controversy surrounding the original webtoon artist Park Tae-joon and 'Ilbe' (a right-wing online community) has been reignited, leading to calls for a boycott. The controversy is escalating, especially as societal criticism of mockery and hate speech intensifies.

The core of the controversy lies in a specific scene from Park Tae-joon's webtoon 'Lookism,' chapter 533, 'Busan Part 03.' In this episode, when the protagonist disguises himself as a waiter, the stopwatch shows '5 minutes and 23 seconds.' Netizens pointed out that this signifies May 23rd, the date of the passing of the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. Furthermore, they criticized the word 'Rock owl' on a building sign in the background of the scene, interpreting it as a deliberate device, a direct English translation of 'Búeong-i Bawi' (Owl Rock), the location where former President Roh passed away.

Park Tae-joon has been embroiled in similar controversies in the past. In 2015, during the serialization of 'Lookism,' he faced accusations of satirizing a 'mukbang' (eating broadcast) photo of former President Roh. In 2021, he was criticized for using the laughter sound 'hwuhwuhwu,' commonly used in far-right communities to mock former President Moon Jae-in, in the dialogue of another work. At the time, Park vehemently denied the accusations on his blog, stating, "I am not the kind of person who would do such a thing with a deceased person's photo, nor do I have the courage."

However, viewers' reactions remain cold regarding the recurring instances of satire reminiscent of a specific online community found throughout his works. Netizens have expressed strong rejection, commenting, "I was going to watch 'Chief Detective 1958' because of So Ji-sub, but I won't now," "If it's based on Ilbe's far-right ideology, then the drama is out," and "It's hard to see the combination of 5 minutes and 23 seconds and Owl Rock as a coincidence."

As public sensitivity towards hate and mockery content reaches its peak, attention is focused on how the drama 'Chief Detective 1958,' which encountered the obstacle of the original author's risk from its early broadcast, will overcome this challenge.