KBS web variety show 'Don Seon-tae' receives viewer complaints over political controversy scene; video made private

The pre-release video of KBS’s new web variety show ″Donseontae″ became embroiled in political controversy due to a scene mentioning the expression ″musupno.″ The video is currently set to private on YouTube. The controversy began with host Kim Seontae asking, ″Why is my story coming up in politics?″ and RIIZEne member Woni responding, ″I don’t even know what that is.″ Viewers criticized the show for bringing up the already settled ″musupno″ controversy again in a variety show. In particular, KBS was also criticized for using hashtags with names unrelated to RIIZEne and Woni, such as Hong Myung-bo, Lee Jae-yong, Min Hee-jin, NewJeans, and Han Dong-hoon, at the time of the video’s release. Viewers shared related videos and screenshots through online communities, saying, ″It has even disappeared from search results.″ A complaint was submitted to the KBS viewer petition board stating, ″I cannot understand why hashtags related to politicians and various political issues were included,″ and ″I question why an already ended controversy is being reignited.″ The complainant expressed regret over the hosting that seemed to induce the ″~no″ remark, noting that Kim Seontae, as a former public official, should have been aware of the sensitivity of the matter. They also requested that the scene not be aired in the main broadcast, saying, ″Even if the thumbnail, title, and hashtags are modified, the video content remains unchanged.″ Multiple online communities continued to criticize Kim Seontae’s hosting style. There were accusations that the host, who has emphasized political neutrality, prompted the guest to mention the controversial expression. Although the controversy may have been ongoing during filming, questions were raised about the broadcaster’s decision to air the scene during the editing process. After the controversy, the video was set to private.