'Comedy Big League' gets government warning

Jang Dong-min, right, from tvN's "Comedy Big League" on Sunday / Courtesy of tvN

By Bahk Eun-ji

The Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) has warned “Comedy Big League,” tvN’s comedy skit show, for violating human rights and using improper language.

The warning came after comedian Jang Dong-min was embroiled in controversy for mocking socially disadvantaged people on the show.

In an episode aired last month, Jang, 36, made fun of children from divorced families while playing a preschool boy. In the show, he sees one of his friends from a divorced family boasting about his new toy and asks: “Did your separated father send you money?” He keeps joking: “Great. You receive birthday presents from two families. That’s a good financial move.”

Jang then portrayed a child exposing his penis to his grandmother, which quickly drew criticism that he had made fun of child sexual molestation.

After the segment, a civic group promoting the rights of single-parent families sued the show’s producers, tvN’s executives and two actors, including Jang. The group withdrew the complaint after the cable TV broadcaster apologized and abolished the segment.