Presidential office asks JTBC to postpone airing of cooking variety show in wake of official’s death

A trailer for JTBC’s hit cooking show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator” featuring President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung originally scheduled to be aired on Oct. 5 during the Chuseok holiday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
The presidential office said Saturday it had formally requested cable broadcaster JTBC to postpone the airing of a Chuseok episode of its hit cooking show “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator,” featuring President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung.
 
Lee and Kim were scheduled to appear on the Chuseok special episode of the program on Sunday at 9 p.m. to “promote K-food dishes made with seasonal ingredients,” presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon said in a written statement.  
 
The program was intended to showcase the appeal of Korean food, which is gaining global popularity, over the Chuseok holiday.
 
 
“However, in consideration of the ongoing period of mourning across all ministries following the death of a government official, the presidential office requested that JTBC delay the broadcast,” spokesperson Kim said.  
 
Kim’s statement comes amid growing criticism from the opposition People Power Party (PPP) over the government’s handling of the recent fire at the National Information Resources Service (NIRS) in Daejeon, leading to massive damage affecting government network systems.
 
On Friday, a Ministry of the Interior and Safety official in charge of restoring online government services fell to his death at the Sejong government complex. Lee expressed his condolences for the official’s death later that day and sent Kang Hoon-sik, his chief of staff, to pay respects at the funeral hall in Sejong.
 
Spokesperson Kim said that Lee, upon returning from a trip to New York for the UN General Assembly on Sept. 26. received continuous updates on the NIRS fire, closely monitored the government’s response and issued necessary directives.
 
A Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting was held on Sept. 27, chaired by the Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, and the fire was completely extinguished by 6 p.m. that day, Kim said.
 
Addressing the PPP’s criticism about an inadequate response to the data center fire, Kim said Lee held an emergency response meeting with senior presidential secretaries and other related officials to discuss follow-up measures at 10:50 a.m. Sunday. He said Lee recorded the JTBC program later Sunday before chairing a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures meeting at 5:30 p.m.
 
The final decision on whether to postpone the airing of the episode will be made by the broadcaster.
 

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]