KBS2 entertainment show ‘Men Doing Housework 2’ responded to a viewer petition demanding that singer Park Seo-jin be banned from KBS.

On November 28, a post was made on the KBS viewer petition titled, “Please do not allow public figures who evade their national defense duties to appear on public broadcasting.”

The writer said, “I knew that (Park Seo-jin) would be enlisting this year, and he also said that he wanted to make a hit song before he enlisted. Then, why are you posting an article now that he was exempted from military service due to mental illness caused by family issues in his early 20s?” He explained the reason for the post by saying, “To the fans who helped me get to where I am today in both material and spiritual ways, such an absurd act is an act of mocking and deceiving the nation.” He also attached a content where Park Seo-jin mentioned his enlistment in a media interview last year.

Regarding this, the production team of ‘Mr. House Husband 2’ stated, “We deeply regret this controversy” and “However, as has been reported by various media outlets, cast member Park Seo-jin was exempted from military service for legitimate reasons through multiple physical examinations, so the term ‘dodging military service’, as you mentioned, does not seem appropriate.”.

They continued, “Regarding this, Park Seo-jin personally uploaded a post explaining and apologizing for the interview that became controversial.”.

In fact, when the controversy over lying about military service arose, Park Seo-jin said, “I was so scared that if I said I was exempted from military service due to a mental illness, people would look at me negatively and I would lose people coming to broadcasts and events, which would affect my career as a singer.” In a past interview, when asked, ‘You are at an age where you will soon be enlisting, what are your goals for the future?”, it was difficult for me to immediately say that I had already been exempted from military service. So I answered that my goal was a hit song, which I had always dreamed of. I had no idea that this answer would become such a big deal,” he explained.

The production team also said, “‘Mr. House Husband’ focuses on the weight and responsibility of a head of a household rather than the glamorous appearance of a celebrity on stage,” and “Park Seo-jin, who joined the show in January, not only supported his family by working at sea in place of his parents who had been battling cancer since childhood, but also experienced a very tragic family history of losing two brothers in succession. The reason for his military exemption was also revealed to be due to an illness that arose during his growth process,” explaining that Park Seo-jin was in line with the purpose of the program.

He continued, “I couldn’t reveal it honestly in the controversial interview, but I confessed to the production team with difficulty about the reason for my military exemption before appearing on ‘Mr. House Husband’, and the production team watched over my treatment process for a year. We sincerely want to capture this process and provide sympathy, comfort, and support to viewers who are going through another hardship in life,” he said, asking for understanding.

Lastly, he promised, “We will continue to work hard to capture the daily lives of the cast members more responsibly in the future, as much as the interest many viewers have shown us due to this controversy.”


[The following is the full statement from the ‘Mr. Living Man’]

Hello. Thank you for the opinions our viewers have sent us.

Our ‘Mr. Living Man 2’ is a program of the public broadcasting station KBS and belongs to the entertainment genre, but we always think about the social responsibility that broadcasting has when we produce it. Therefore, we are very sorry about this controversy.

However, as has been previously reported by various media outlets, the term ‘dodging military service’, which you mentioned, does not seem appropriate, as Mr. Park Seo-jin was exempted from military service through several physical examinations for legitimate reasons.

In addition, Mr. Park Seo-jin himself uploaded a post explaining and apologizing for the controversial interview related to this.

‘Men Who Do Housework’ mainly contains the weight and responsibility of a head of a household rather than the glamorous appearance of a celebrity on stage.

Mr. Park Seo-jin, who joined Housework Men in January, not only supported his family by working at sea in place of his parents who had been battling cancer since childhood, but also had an incredibly tragic family history of losing two brothers in succession, which was revealed on our broadcast. He also revealed that the reason for his military exemption was due to illnesses that arose during his growth.

Although he was unable to reveal it honestly in the controversial interview, he confessed to our production team about the reason for his military exemption before appearing on ‘Mr. House Husband’, and our production team watched his treatment process for a year. Singer Park Seo-jin‘s on-stage image, which is reflected in various contents, is that of a glamorous celebrity, but our production team, who observes the daily life and inner self of the cast, sees a completely different side of him than his on-stage image, that of a young man in his 20s who is still overcoming adversity in life and growing. And by sincerely capturing this process, we want to provide empathy, comfort, and support to viewers who are going through another hardship in life.

Due to the interest shown by many viewers due to this controversy, we will continue to strive to capture the cast’s daily lives more honestly with a more responsible attitude.

Thank you.

Jeon Hyo-jin, Donga.com Reporter jhj@donga.com