KBS scraps web show before it airs after host Kim Seon-tae's controversial preview sparks backlash

KBS has canceled its web entertainment show "Donsuntae Seonggong Sidae" (lit. "Kim Seon-tae's Age of Success," hereafter "Donsuntae") before a single episode aired, after a preview clip drew sharp criticism over the host's handling of a guest from girl group RESCENE.

KBS said in an official statement Friday that it "deeply regrets and sincerely apologizes to viewers who felt discomfort and concern over the preview clip, and to the cast member who suffered psychological distress and hurt as a result of the content." The broadcaster said it had accepted host Kim Seon-tae's request to step down following multiple rounds of discussion, and canceled both the digital release and broadcast schedule entirely.

KBS added that it "takes seriously the fact that certain expressions and directorial choices in this content could have caused discomfort and hurt to the cast member and viewers," and pledged to "produce programs more carefully going forward, giving greater consideration to diverse perspectives and viewer sensibilities."

The broadcaster said it is "verifying the facts with the relevant departments and production team and conducting a thorough review of the entire production process," including whether the show's creative intent and methods of expression were appropriate and whether they met standards for cast protection and production ethics.

On the separate controversy over hashtags linking unrelated politicians to the clip, KBS explained that "hashtags used in a previous video were carried over as-is to the promotional Shorts clip, and were not caught during the upload process." It said there was "absolutely no intention to associate specific individuals or RESCENE with any political purpose, nor were the hashtags used deliberately for viral marketing or to drive up view counts," and apologized for "the confusion and misunderstanding caused by the oversight, and for any inconvenience caused to the cast member and those individuals."

"Donsuntae" was conceived as a show in which Kim — formerly known as "Chungju Man" on YouTube — would invite guests who had achieved remarkable success and ask them about the secrets behind it. The program drew attention as Kim's first foray into hosting an entertainment show on a major broadcaster after leaving his YouTube channel.

The backlash erupted almost immediately after a preview clip from the first episode was released Wednesday. The clip featured RESCENE member Wonyi and prominently highlighted her past use of the word "museopno" — a phrase that had previously embroiled her in controversy linked to the far-right online community "Ilgan Best" (Ilbe). The thumbnail included the text "naono," and Kim prompted Wonyi to speak about the "museopno incident," asking her to "say something in dialect — why is my name coming up in politics, naono?" Wonyi deflected with a witty response: "I don't even know what that is." The clip also attached the names of politicians and celebrities as hashtags despite having no connection to the content.

Critics were swift and varied, but the most prominent charge was that the clip amounted to a second round of harm against Wonyi, who had already suffered considerably from the original controversy. Wonyi had been caught up in the Ilbe controversy after using the word "museopno" in conversation with a fellow group member in a video. The word is a standard Gyeongsang dialect expression, and public opinion had largely settled on the view that there was nothing wrong with a native of the region using her own dialect. Even so, having the controversy repeatedly dredged up placed an unavoidable burden on Wonyi, and had she stumbled verbally in response to Kim's prompting, she could easily have been drawn into yet another controversy.

There was also criticism that the show used the dialect ending "no" in a mocking way. While "no" is a standard sentence-ending particle in Gyeongsang dialect, Ilbe uses it as a slur against former President Roh Moo-hyun, and critics noted that Ilbe's usage has spread online to the point where the word is frequently deployed with no connection to the dialect at all. The argument was that deliberately using "no" in the "Donsuntae" clip, in a context where it was entirely unnecessary, was inappropriate.

As the controversy grew, Kim posted a video to his YouTube channel Friday saying he had decided to step down voluntarily, citing his own shortcomings as a solo host on a terrestrial broadcaster.

"I must have been too ambitious," Kim said. "Trying to be a solo MC on a terrestrial network — it wasn't easy. I lacked the ability. It's my fault."

He added that working without an agency had made things feel rough around the edges overall, and acknowledged difficulties communicating with the production team. "Honestly, there were challenges in terms of communication with the production staff," he said.

Kim said he had called RESCENE and their agency's chief directly to apologize before making the announcement. "I heard the members were actually worried about me first," he said. "That made me feel even more sorry — two, three times over."

"This incident has made me reflect on myself," he said. "I thought a lot about whether I had lost sight of where I started. I'm sorry for causing discomfort through all of this."