KBS has issued an apology after airing inaccurate information regarding girl group NewJeans.
On August 27, KBS released a statement on its viewer petition board, writing:
“During the August 8 episode of KBS 1 Radio’s ‘Success Economy with Lee Dae Ho,’ in the in-depth interview segment discussing the current state and outlook of the entertainment industry with an external guest, remarks were made about NewJeans’ legal situation and music releases that were not factual. We sincerely apologize to NewJeans, their fans, and our listeners for the confusion and concern caused.”
The controversy arose after a panelist on the broadcast, claimed, “It has been concluded that NewJeans must belong to ADOR, and the group has accepted this,” and further added, “NewJeans has released official music under the name NJZ.”
Following the broadcast, petitions condemning the spread of false information were posted on KBS’s viewer board. One petitioner wrote: “They explained completely false information about NewJeans as if it were fact, and this was reported on radio and in articles. We condemn reporting without fact-checking information that can easily be verified, and demand a correction and preventive measures.” Another petition read: “We request a correction and apology broadcast from ‘Success Economy with Lee Dae Ho.’”
In its apology, KBS stated: “We have posted an apology on the program’s website and YouTube content, and edited or deleted the recorded video and replays that contained inaccurate information, as well as removed related articles.”