Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
A couple months ago, Asian Junkie covered the story of CJ E&M being under fire for their role in the suicide of a producer from ‘Drinking Solo‘ and their subsequent actions against the family.
Their conclusion was that the suicide was a result of working conditions in the form of lack of vacation, lack of sleep, and abuse.
Anyway, it’s not exactly difficult to see why CJ E&M is getting lit up over this, as they reportedly were not only part of the reason for the PD’s death, but then blamed him for it, and harangued the family afterward. That’s about as despicable as one can get, so it should be interesting to see how this unfolds given the public outcry.
The investigation put together by the family demanded an official apology from CJ E&M and prevention measures put in place to prevent this from happening again or they would go to court. Well, the good news is that the family got their official apology, and it appears as though some type of measures are being taken by CJ E&M.
On June 15, CJ E&M’s CEO Kim Sung Soo met with the victim’s family along with the members of the investigation team. He stated, “We sincerely apologize for responding so poorly to the tragedy and hurting the victim’s family even more. We promise to turn over a new leaf by making changes to the system.” The father of PD Lee Han Bin responded, “We hope today’s meeting will lead to the rebirth of the broadcasting industry.” CJ E&M has promised to take disciplinary action against the people responsible for PD Lee Han Bin’s death. The company will also be supporting a fund and dedicating a room within their building in memory of the victim. They have promised to make nine changes to the working environment, including a rational labor contract along with the establishment of proper working hours for the production staff.
I’m glad the family got their apology. However, the cynical side of me questions exactly who is going to oversee CJ E&M making these changes. If there’s no oversight, then this is essentially just a PR move to stop them being justifiably vilified for their actions.
Truly, I hope things change for the better for those working behind the scenes at CJ E&M, but I have doubts this does anything.
