'Dr. Cha Jeongsuk' Apologizes for Controversy Over Crohn's Disease Description: "Explanation Was Inadequate"

7th Episode Dialogue "Inherited Bad Disease"
Production Team Admits Fault, Says "Not Careful Enough"

The comprehensive programming channel JTBC drama 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' apologized following criticism from some viewers who were concerned about the negative portrayal of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, which could lead to misunderstandings.

In episode 7 of 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook,' aired on the 6th, a scene featuring a conversation between a Crohn's disease patient and his father-in-law and mother-in-law became problematic.

The father-in-law said, "How can you hide such a terrible disease and get married? There should be limits even if it ruins my daughter's life," and the mother-in-law snapped at the prospective son-in-law, "I heard this disease is hereditary," telling him to give up on the marriage. After a failed surgery, the prospective son-in-law attempted an extreme act.

After the broadcast, concerns were raised that emphasizing the 'hereditary' aspect in the dialogue between the characters could provide incorrect information.

Although the exact cause of Crohn's disease is not fully known, medical experts believe it develops due to an excessive immune response by the body to the normal gut microbiota, influenced by environmental factors, genetic factors, Westernized dietary habits, and antibiotic overuse.

It is known that early symptoms include diarrhea and abdominal pain. Therefore, it is easy to mistake it for irritable bowel syndrome in the early stages, but if diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, and bloody stools persist for more than a month, Crohn's disease should be suspected and a colonoscopy is necessary. It mainly occurs in people from their late teens to early 30s.

After the broadcast, many posts appeared on the viewer bulletin board pointing out that the program created misunderstandings about Crohn's disease. Additionally, the Korea Communications Standards Commission reportedly received over 40 complaints and is reviewing the related content.

The production team of 'Doctor Cha Jeong-sook' bowed and apologized on the 10th, saying, "We apologize for causing hurt to patients and their families through an episode related to a specific disease."

The production team acknowledged, "The episode intended to depict a specific case of a patient with severe chronic complications among Crohn's disease symptoms, but we failed to explain that it was not a typical case of Crohn's disease."

They added, "We also failed to pay close attention to the fact that a line spoken by a character without medical expertise could foster negative perceptions of a specific disease," and apologized once again.

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