"Deceased Kindergarten Child as a Ghost?"... Bereaved Families Protest 'Late Night Ghost Stories' Broadcast

Bereaved Families "Did Not Expect It to Be Used This Way"
MBC Side "Intended to Ensure It Is Not Forgotten"

MBC Midnight Ghost Stories poster.
Photo by MBC

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] MBC variety show 'Late Night Ghost Stories' is facing criticism for repeatedly introducing real disasters and incidents or using them as ghost story material.

On the 27th, the viewer board of Late Night Ghost Stories received protest posts stating that "the broadcast related to the Sealand disaster aired on the 19th could hurt the bereaved families."

Earlier, on the 19th, Late Night Ghost Stories covered a story about a police officer assigned to preserve the abandoned building after the 1999 Sealand fire incident who heard mysterious sounds, which were presumed to be "the voices of the deceased children."

There was also a reenactment scene where villagers visited the incident site saying, "We will just perform a gut (shamanistic ritual) and leave," and a shaman said, "The crying of the children never stops." The program also mentioned that "because the grudges of the children were not appeased, the village children end up crying."

Mr. Ko Seok, the representative of the bereaved families of the Sealand disaster, appealed in an interview with YTN star on the 27th, "A few days ago, I heard from an employee that the production team requested materials. Since we have unconditionally accepted requests for materials related to children's safety issues in the past, we did the same this time. But I did not expect it to be used in this way."

He continued, "Although it was based on a tip from a person who guarded the site at the time, there are many exaggerated parts in the content. The part about 'accidents around there happening because no gut was performed for the children' is somewhat regrettable."

Meanwhile, the Hwaseong Sealand fire disaster occurred in the early morning of June 30, 1999, at the amusement park Sealand in Baekmi-ri, Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-gun, Gyeonggi-do (now Baekmi-ri, Seosin-myeon, Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do). The fire resulted in the deaths of 23 people, including 19 kindergarten children and 4 teachers and instructors, and 5 others were injured. The police estimated that the cause of the accident was an electrical short circuit or ignition by mosquito coils, which spread throughout the building.

Photo by MBC, screenshot from the 'Midnight Ghost Stories' viewer board

The controversy surrounding 'Late Night Ghost Stories' did not end there.

On the 26th, the program covered the 1990 Seoul Songpa-gu triple murder case. This was an incident where the husband reacted negatively because his son's blood type was different from his own, leading the wife to kill the children and then take her own life. On the 12th, the show also covered the story of serial killer Yoo Young-chul and a woman who lived next door. The program has been covering real cases for three consecutive weeks.

One netizen wrote on the Late Night Ghost Stories viewer board, "Do they get permission from the bereaved families before airing real crime stories?" and expressed concern, "I worry that the bereaved families might suffer from the victims' deaths and pain being reduced to mere stories."

Other netizens commented, "Is this entertainment material? The production is too violent and really uncomfortable to watch," and "Real crime stories are not respectful to the bereaved families."

In response to the controversy, an MBC official told Maeil Economy Star Today on the 27th, "The Sealand disaster was broadcast with the intention of not letting it be forgotten and to continue memorializing it," and explained, "Since it is a program dealing with ghost stories, it seems that there were issues raised regarding the real stories and other parts."

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