"Misunderstanding Possible..." MBC Explains Kim Yeon-kyung Subtitle Controversy, Netizens Are Boiling

MBC released the full original video of the interview after controversy arose over the subtitles of player Kim Yeon-koung's interview.
[Photo by MBC News YouTube video capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seoyoung Kwon] MBC released the full original interview video to quell the controversy over the subtitles broadcast during volleyball player Kim Yeon-kyung's interview, but criticism continues.

Today (1st), MBC's YouTube channel 'MBC News' uploaded a video titled '[Full Interview with Kim Yeon-kyung] We can do it! Let's try! Don't give up!'. This video features an interview with Kim Yeon-kyung after the victory in the Korea-Japan match at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where the reporter mentioned, "You gave hope to the people," and Kim Yeon-kyung responded, "I feel even prouder."

However, unlike the reporter's question in the video, the subtitles displayed read, "We lost soccer and baseball, but only volleyball won?" which sparked controversy. The subtitles alone could have led to a misunderstanding that Kim Yeon-kyung was belittling the results of other sports. After netizens pointed this out, MBC News first mosaicked the problematic subtitles and then made the video private.

Subsequently, MBC News explained in the comments section of the video, "During the editing process of uploading the interview video with the women's volleyball team representative Kim Yeon-kyung immediately after the match, the reporter's questions were summarized and shortened, which led to criticism that it could cause misunderstandings." They added, "Therefore, we took down the interview video and are uploading the full original video containing all questions and answers from the mixed zone interview with Kim Yeon-kyung," and re-released the corrected video.

Earlier, MBC News sparked controversy by adding subtitles with content different from the reporter's questions in the interview video of player Kim Yeon-koung.
[Photo by YouTube channel 'MBC News' capture]

However, criticism does not seem to subside easily. Most netizens pointed out that there was no reason to condense the entire context of the questions to just "only volleyball won." In the revised video, when the reporter said, "You might not have known today, but soccer lost and baseball lost too," Kim Yeon-kyung responded, "Really?" Then the reporter added, "Volleyball was the only one to keep hope alive. You gave hope to the people," to which Kim Yeon-kyung expressed her gratitude, saying, "Thank you."

Also, when the reporter asked, "Please say a word to the fans who are cheering for you," Kim Yeon-kyung replied, "I feel even prouder." She continued, "Due to COVID-19, many people probably cannot go out much," and added, "We are working hard so that we can be a source of strength even at home, so I hope many people will cheer for us."

One netizen commented, "Anyone can see this was not a misunderstanding. The subtitles were meant to belittle Kim Yeon-kyung's character, so how can they shamelessly claim it was a misunderstanding? This is not a mere excuse; they should offer a proper apology." Other netizens also responded with comments such as, "Summarizing should not distort the original meaning," and "Such subtitles could also be disrespectful to our country's soccer and baseball players."

Previously, on the 23rd, MBC caused a stir by using inappropriate photos or phrases during the introduction of some countries while broadcasting the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Additionally, on the 25th, during the soccer match between Korea and Romania, subtitles sarcastically saying "Thank you, Marin" were displayed referring to a Romanian player who scored an own goal, drawing criticism for a lack of consideration toward other countries.

Meanwhile, MBC President Park Sung-je held a press conference on the 26th, stating, "I apologize as the person responsible for the broadcast that lacked careful consideration and respect for participating countries, which hurt the feelings of the citizens of the affected countries and disappointed viewers." Park added, "Upon initial investigation, it was judged that the issue was not limited to disciplining a few specific production staff but involved fundamental problems with awareness of norms and the content review system. We will thoroughly identify the cause and hold those responsible accountable."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.