CJ OnStyle, a South Korean cable television channel, has decided to impose an indefinite suspension of one of its show hosts, Yoo Nan-hee, for making inappropriate comments during a broadcast of a cosmetic sales program. This decision came after a similar move by Hyundai Home Shopping, which suspended another show host, Jung Yoon-jeong, for using vulgar language during a live show. Additionally, CJ OnStyle has received a "caution" from the Korea Communications Standards Commission, a regulatory body overseeing broadcast content in South Korea.
On April 18th, the Advertising Review Committee of the Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation (KOBACO) issued a "caution" verdict for the CJ OnStyle program, "Dr. Jart+ Ampoule," broadcasted on February 4th, due to the inappropriate remarks made by Yoo Nan-hee. The verdict was reached with three committee members issuing a "caution" and two issuing a "recommendation," which is a preliminary step in the disciplinary process.
The disciplinary process in South Korea is divided into several stages, starting with "no issue," followed by "opinion suggestion" and "recommendation" in the administrative stage, then "caution," "warning," "program revision, modification, suspension or punishment of personnel," and "monetary penalty" in the legal stage. The legal stage includes a sanction that could result in a deduction of the broadcast station's scores at the time of re-licensing.
The verdict of the Advertising Review Committee is expected to be confirmed without significant disagreement at the next full committee meeting.
The program in question advertised cosmetics that were not medically verified for treating skin diseases, but the subtitle read, "It could change any skin." This led to complaints from viewers. In particular, Yoo Nan-hee's comment, "I was reminded of a female comedian who suffered a lot from skin problems. If she had known about this, it would have been great," attracted criticism from the public. Although Yoo did not mention the name of the comedian, the remark was interpreted as referring to Park Ji-sun, a comedian who suffered from skin diseases and passed away in 2020.
Yoo Nan-hee apologized for her remarks, stating, "I sincerely apologize for hurting the feelings of many people by reminding them of someone." The CJ OnStyle representative, who attended the hearing, stated, "We immediately apologized through the subtitle the next day after realizing the seriousness of the situation and imposed an indefinite suspension on the host, Yoo Nan-hee. We will strengthen our internal management and comply with the disciplinary regulations."
During the hearing, Kim Woo-seok, one of the committee members, stated that "there may be secondary damage to the deceased if there is a mention of the person again in the case of legal sanctions, so I will make a 'recommendation' instead of a 'caution.'" Although other committee members partially agreed with this view, the verdict of "caution" was reached because of the necessity of legal sanctions.
Kim Yu-jin, another committee member, emphasized that "harsh punishment should be imposed on this kind of remark because the affected person is unable to defend themselves," and expressed her hope that the broadcasting industry would learn from this incident.
In summary, CJ OnStyle's show host, Yoo Nan-hee, has been indefinitely suspended for making inappropriate remarks during a cosmetic sales program, which led to a "caution" verdict by the Advertising Review Committee of KOBACO. This case highlights the importance of maintaining professional ethics and social responsibility in the broadcasting industry. The broadcasting industry must ensure that its employees comply with the regulations and ethical standards to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
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