'Signal 2' confirmed to air on December 7th, "Not defending Jo Jin-woong... for the staff"

December 7 at 10 PMScheduled to broadcast every Monday and TuesdayThe tvN drama 'Second Signal', whose broadcast was uncertain due to the past criminal record of lead actor Cho Jin-woong and his retirement from the entertainment industry, has confirmed its broadcast on December 7th./THE FACTDB[THE FACT|Choi Hyun-jung] The broadcast of the drama 'Second Signal', which was uncertain due to actor Cho Jin-woong's retirement from the entertainment industry, has been confirmed.Broadcaster tvN announced on the 6th, "We will schedule the drama 'Second Signal' as a tvN Monday-Tuesday drama starting December 7th."'Signal 2' is a 20th-anniversary production by tvN, and it has confirmed the appearances of Kim Hye-soo, Cho Jin-woong, and Lee Je-hoon, who were the main cast members of the previous work, 'Signal'. The drama had completed all pre-production filming from February 15 to August 12 of last year and was only awaiting broadcast scheduling.However, the broadcast itself became uncertain when allegations arose that the lead actor, Cho Jin-woong, had committed theft and assault during his minor years, leading to his time in juvenile detention, and had also committed drunk driving and assault during his acting career. To make matters worse, Cho Jin-woong's declaration of retirement from the entertainment industry made the airing of 'Second Signal' even more remote.However, considering the time and cost invested in filming the drama, tvN confirmed the broadcast schedule and decided to air it.tvN explained, "'Second Signal' is not the work of one specific cast member. It is a collaborative creation that contains the time and effort of many staff, production crew, and stakeholders," adding, "We believe it is necessary to distinguish between evaluations of individual cast members, the value of the work itself, and the efforts of the creators involved."They then stated, "We also tested AI-based character replacement, but there were limitations in naturally implementing acting expressions and narrative flow, making it difficult to apply this technology in the end," announcing that the show would be broadcast without large-scale edits or scene changes.However, on the first day of broadcast, episodes 1 and 2 will be aired consecutively with some adjustments and reductions to the first episode's content, and episode 3 will be broadcast the following day.tvN added, "The release of the work does not mean to endorse or justify the issue," and "While it is difficult to resolve all concerns, we have judged that the efforts of the actors, staff, and production team should also be considered."'The Second Wave' was produced as an 8-part series and will premiere on tvN on the 7th at 10 PM, airing every Monday and Tuesday at the same time.Here is the full statement from tvN.Hello, this is tvN.We are taking the concerns and opinions of our viewers regarding the drama very seriously.Misconduct by a specific cast member is a serious issue that cannot be taken lightly by the channel. However, is not the work of just one cast member.This is a collaborative creation that embodies the time and effort of many staff, crew, and stakeholders, from the planning stage to filming and post-production.I believe it's necessary to distinguish between evaluations of individual performers, the value of the work itself, and the efforts of the creators involved.After much deliberation, we are carefully pleased to announce that will be organized as a tvN Monday-Tuesday drama starting December 7th.The broadcast is scheduled for 10 PM, later than usual, taking into account the genre characteristics of the work and viewing environment. Additionally, considering the plot development of the 8-episode drama and the overall viewing flow, three episodes will be broadcast in the first week.On the first broadcast day, episodes 1 and 2 will be aired consecutively, with a slight reduction and adjustment to the first episode's content to maintain the story's flow and immersion as much as possible. On the following day, episode 3, where the main story begins, will be broadcast. Thereafter, one episode will be aired each Monday and Tuesday.We have extensively reviewed various options to minimize concerns while maintaining the quality of the work before making these decisions.We explored solutions for image modification using video technology and conducted tests for character replacement using AI. However, there are limitations in naturally implementing acting expressions and narrative flow, making it difficult to apply the technology in the final product.I want to make it clear that the release of the work does not mean to advocate or justify the issue.While this decision may not fully alleviate all the concerns you've expressed, we believe it's important to also consider the efforts of those who have waited a long time for this project and the countless actors, staff, and production crew who have done their best in their respective roles to bring the work to completion. We will deliver the original story and meaning with value, and we will not forget our responsibility as a channel.[Entertainment Department | ssent@tf.co.kr]laugardagr@tf.co.kr