연합뉴스
| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-01-26 07:50:40
SEOUL, Jan. 26 (Yonhap) -- Entertainment programs featuring ordinary people as their main characters have been repeatedly embroiled in controversies over cast members’ private lives, once again putting the broadcasting industry’s lax vetting practices under scrutiny.
Chef Lim Sung-geun, who rose to fame after appearing on Netflix’s reality show “Culinary Class Wars: Black and White Chef Season 2,” recently sparked public shock after it emerged that he has a criminal record, including four convictions for drunk driving.
As the controversy escalated, Lim announced a complete halt to his broadcasting activities, while the entertainment industry — which had been fiercely competing to cast him — swiftly moved to distance itself from the chef.
MBC’s variety show “The Manager” decided not to air episodes already filmed with Lim, while the YouTube variety program “Salon Drip,” produced by Kim Tae-ho’s team, also scrapped the episode featuring him.
SBS’s “Same Bed, Different Dreams 2: You Are My Destiny” said it would edit out Lim as much as possible from already recorded footage and instead focus on comedian Hong Yun-hwa, who appeared alongside him.
In addition, MBC’s “Hangout with Yoo,” KBS 2TV’s “Stars’ Top Recipe at Fun-Staurant” and JTBC’s “Knowing Bros” withdrew invitations or removed Lim from their recording lineups.
At the same time, questions arose over whether the production team of “Culinary Class Wars 2” had been aware of Lim’s drunk-driving history in advance.
Lim’s side claimed that the information had been disclosed beforehand, but Netflix said it had only confirmed one drunk-driving case from 2020, adding that it had not been informed of, nor could it verify, any additional criminal records.
The controversy has laid bare the vulnerabilities of an industry vetting system that relies largely on voluntary disclosures from cast members.
The issue has also spread to terrestrial broadcasters. SBS’s reality show “Parent Release Project: Boarding Matchmaking” came under fire after allegations surfaced regarding the inappropriate private life of one female participant.
While the participant said the allegations were “somewhat different from the facts” and warned of legal action, SBS announced it would completely remove her footage from all remaining episodes.
Amid a flood of reality shows featuring non-celebrities, producers frequently cite the “limits of verification.” Although they conduct pre-interviews, review current and past backgrounds, and include penalty clauses for false statements in contracts, they argue there is no legal basis to demand criminal record certificates from participants.
Yu Ki-hwan, Netflix’s director of Korean unscripted content, said at a press briefing on Tuesday that there are “significant limitations” in thoroughly examining individuals’ past histories.
“We do our utmost to follow verification procedures within legal boundaries, but we are also trying to figure out how to address the issues that still slip through,” he said.
However, critics note that repeated heavy editing and program cancellations inevitably erode trust in shows and increase viewer fatigue. They argue that producers must more seriously recognize how the moral risks of cast members can affect entire programs and approach casting with a stronger sense of responsibility rather than chasing buzz.
Pop culture critic Ha Jae-geun said broadcasters and producers are not investigative authorities, making strict verification difficult, but added that an obsession with ratings has also contributed to lax screening.
“If casting used to be the top priority, producers must now keep in mind that a candidate’s past record can and should lead to casting being canceled,” he said.
[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]