The Aftermath of Masked Singer's 9th Anniversary Hiatus... "9-Tilmak Regime" vs "Are They Colluding?"

MBC 'King of Mask Singer' 9th Anniversary Special, No Broadcast on 7th
Hankyoreh "Judgment That Jo Gukdang's Symbol Causes Misunderstanding"
Jo Gukdang "9-Tilmok Regime... Must Be Investigated in the National Assembly"

On the 7th, the MBC entertainment program ‘King of Mask Singer’ 9th anniversary special broadcast was canceled due to production reasons. When reports emerged suggesting that the number 9 could be associated with the Jo Guk Innovation Party’s candidate number 9 based on internal judgments, the Jo Guk Innovation Party strongly protested.

[Image source = MBC YouTube channel capture]

On that day, spokesperson Lee Ji-su stated, “Until just two years ago, we were a ‘developed country upon waking up,’ but now we live in an era of ‘censorship and sanctions.’ It is fitting to call this the so-called ‘9-blockade’ regime following mouth-blockade, ear-blockade, and wave-blockade.” She added, “Considering the fuss even over green onions, it is understandable. While understanding, it is also saddening how things have come to this.”

She also said, “Every night at 9 o’clock, why does KBS, which blatantly promotes the Jo Guk Innovation Party with the 9 o’clock news signal, not face sanctions? How long will the Yoon Seok-yeol administration watch elementary school students reciting multiplication tables? Should Google also be expelled on this occasion?” and “In the 22nd National Assembly standing committee, we will summon the heads of organizations such as the Korea Communications Commission, the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and the Election Broadcasting Deliberation Commission, which led the ‘broadcasting takeover’ under Yoon Seok-yeol’s prosecutorial dictatorship, to hold them accountable. We will ensure that broadcasters are not afraid of unfair sanctions and do not fail to do their jobs out of fear of the regime.”

Cho Kuk, leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, is meeting citizens at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul on the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Representative Jo Guk also commented on the ‘King of Mask Singer’ cancellation that day, saying, “I heard the news in the car and couldn’t help but laugh. It’s so pathetic. Who came up with the idea to block the 9th anniversary special program just because it had the number 9? Who made such an absurd decision?” He added, “I don’t know if MBC decided on its own or if there was a call from Yongsan (the Presidential Office). It’s such a strange and unreasonable decision that the National Assembly must investigate.”

He said, “According to that logic, if everything symbolized by 9 is to be eliminated, then multiplication tables should be banned in elementary schools. Also, if you turn on the current KBS 9 o’clock news, the first screen is True Blue, the color of the Jo Guk Innovation Party. The KBS 9 o’clock news with a blue background and the number 9 should also be abolished.”

"Judgment that it could be used against us ahead of the general election"

[Image source=MBC YouTube channel capture]

MBC’s ‘King of Mask Singer’ began on April 5, 2015, and marked its 9th anniversary this year. Accordingly, the broadcast on the 7th was planned to feature selections and production emphasizing the number ‘9,’ such as ‘Galaxy Express 999.’ The preview of the broadcast showed extensive use of the number 9 in graphics and subtitles actively utilizing the number 9, such as “A battle of charm without ‘9’ (gu)!” However, on the 6th, MBC announced on its website, “The ‘King of Mask Singer’ scheduled to air on Sunday, April 7, will be canceled due to production scheduling.”

Regarding this, Hankyoreh reported, “The reason for the cancellation of the ‘King of Mask Singer’ 9th anniversary special broadcast was confirmed to be an internal opinion that the number overlapped with the Jo Guk Innovation Party’s candidate number and could cause misunderstandings,” adding, “It is interpreted as a ‘chilling effect’ caused by a series of legal sanctions, such as the Korea Communications Commission Election Broadcasting Deliberation Committee’s decision to discipline officials over the ‘Fine Dust 1’ weather forecast.” The judgment was that “since the general election is approaching, we should not give any excuse that could be used against us.”

Previously, the Election Broadcasting Deliberation Committee decided on the 4th to discipline officials related to MBC ‘Newsdesk’ weather forecast, which emphasized the lowest fine dust concentration in Seoul by displaying a blue number 1, stating that it “evokes the Democratic Party’s party color and candidate number.”

"It looks like promoting Jo Guk Party"… "Air it immediately"

However, regarding the cancellation of ‘King of Mask Singer,’ the MBC Labor Union (3rd union) issued a statement saying, “If there is concern that the 9th anniversary of ‘King of Mask Singer’ overlaps with the Jo Guk Innovation Party’s candidate number 9 and could cause misunderstandings, the broadcast could have simply been postponed quietly without giving any reason,” criticizing the management by saying, “But such content came out as an exclusive article by one media outlet three days before voting, effectively promoting the Jo Guk Innovation Party.”

The People Power Party’s satellite party for proportional representation, People’s Future, also stated, “People’s Future believes there is no relation between the ‘King of Mask Singer’ 9th anniversary and the Jo Guk Innovation Party’s number 9,” and urged, “We call for an explanation regarding the political suspicion of ‘collusion with the opposition party’ and demand the immediate airing of ‘King of Mask Singer.’”

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