Production teams called out for carelessness

"Castaway Diva" (tvN)

The local production teams behind hit drama series “Castaway Diva” and the third season of reality show “Unexpected Business" recently issued official apologies for lack of caution while shooting their projects.

Controversy erupted Monday afternoon when a resident of Jeju Island shared that the production team of “Castaway Diva” had left a pile of stones near Hwanguji Coast in Seogwipo, in the south of the island.

The props were used to shoot a scene in which the female lead makes an SOS emergency sign with stones.

The “Castaway Diva” production team admitted its fault and lack of respect for Jeju Island’s nature on Tuesday.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. The team was informed that the drama shooting would take place at areas around the beach. But, we were not careful enough to consider our actions amid and after the shoot. We promise to restore everything in order as soon as possible,” the drama production team said in an apology statement.

"Unexpected Business" season three (tvN)

Meanwhile, "Unexpected Business" features beloved Korean actors Cha Tae-hyun and Zo In-sung as supermarket owners who meet up, talk with customers and offer visitors the opportunity to taste Korean dishes like gimbap.

Though the show presented the two actors running an Asian supermarket in the seaside town of Monterey, California, hygiene issues arose as viewers pointed out that the cast did not wear masks, hairnets or disposable gloves.

“Because the cast was running a Korean food restaurant with an Asian supermarket, we should have paid more attention to hygiene issues. We apologize for causing viewers concern,” said the producer in an apology posted on the show's official website on Friday.

“The staff are responsible. We apologize for presenting the cast, who tried hard to maintain hygiene, as looking insensitive to the issue. We will put our utmost effort and pay close attention to make up for our mistakes,” the production team added.

While shooting for the show has been completed, the production team said it will try to better portray the cast's efforts to comply with various laws and regulations on hygiene

TvN's official apology in Korean (tvN)

A number of Korean shows have been called out for callousness while shooting.

Netflix staff working on the new series “Mr. Plankton” also asked forgiveness for the illegal dumping of trash on Jeju Island last month. SBS crime thriller “The Escape of the Seven” was meanwhile criticized for illegal sidewalk parking while shooting scenes in Seoul in December 2022.

By Lee Si-jin(sj_lee@heraldcorp.com)