We recently reported on the issue with KBS’ Entertainment Relay and their broadcast which contained a 15 minute segment on Big Bang’s controversies in the past year. The broadcast stated that YG Entertainment refused calls from KBS requesting an interview regarding the issues, and also claimed this was due to YG Entertainment having information to hide.
The broadcast also went on to say that they had personally met with the mother of the victim involved in Daesung’s car accident and inquired about Daesung’s meetings, to which the mother had responded “He (Daesung) never even came near here (the house). Even at the funeral we couldn’t even see his face.” Also adding that Daesung only attended the funeral for one day but didn’t even come face to face with the parents. The broadcast went even further and added that in regards to the settlement money, the parent responded with “We haven’t gotten any.”
As well as bringing up these issues, KBS held a poll for netizens to vote on whether they think Big Bang’s comeback is too soon or not.
[ad#GA-468-tx-LM]However, the issues brought up by KBS’ Entertainment Relay were proved wrong through an exclusive interview held with the victim’s elder brother, one of the representatives of the family throughout the progression of the incident to begin with. Here is the interview:
Q: After watching KBS’ Entertainment Relay, what thoughts did you have at first?
A: I hadn’t watched the episode myself until I received a few calls about it. That’s why I checked the internet to see what had happened, but after reading about it on the internet, I was angered at how one-sided the broadcast episode was. They made it seem like my aunt and I had purposely taken the compensation and settlement money for ourselves without telling the rest of our family members. It made the people around me mistake me as some kind of person who betrayed his parents for money. Although I hadn’t responded to this situation formally yet, I still thought that I needed to do something about it.
Q: Did the rest of the family really not see Daesung as claimed? Did no one see his face?
A: When Daesung had first found his way to the funeral, we did get angry with him; but as he kept apologising numerous times and we forgave him numerous times, how is it possible that we didn’t see him? Of course we saw him and he looked very pitiful. Although the paint of losing my brother was grand, it was not a situation where Daesung was to be blamed for everything. Everything was extremely complex. Having of it (that not everything was Daesung’s fault) this helped my heart calm down and I was able to converse with Daesung.
Q: Did your family’s side and Daesung’s side not reach a settlement? Was compensation not received?
A: On the morning of July 19 2011, we did come to a settlement and compensation was made. Daesung was not able to it personally, but a person who was helping Daesung out at the time had come to our house. At that time, my mother, my father, myself and even my aunt were all there in the spot together. We were told that the parents of the victim needed to be present and everything was explained to my parents as well. They even signed the settlement and compensation agreement papers.
Q: But in the interview with Entertainment Relay, the mother of the victim stated that no settlement and compensation was received.
A: Like I already stated, why wouldn’t there have been a settlement or compensation? My mother is currently very ill. She recently received a diagnosis for a brain developmental disability (6th degree developmental disability) from the hospital. She is very unhealthy to the point her memory is unstable. It is to the point she barely even remembers her interview with Entertainment Relay. Even my father is ill.
Q: Is it (the illness) due to the loss of her son?
A: It is just from a chronic illness she has gained after a surgery she had undergone a few years ago. She was fine and her memory was still in tact, but with many hardships around the house and only having outpatient treatment available, her health got worse since all she could do was stay at home. As a son, it is a bit embarassing.
Q: Are your family having family difficulties and circumstances? From the Entertainment Relay segment, it seemed to be a hard life your family is living.
A: It is not as bad as it was portrayed in the show. The area we are living in is starting to undergo remodeling and redevelopment, so we were planning on moving in April. But with our parents’ conditions, we just haven’t been cleaning up the house, that’s why it seemed so messy.
Q: Is what Daesung said and talked about on SBS’ ‘Healing Camp’ all true?
A: For the most part, yes, it is all true. There was nothing said far from the truth. I watched ‘Healing Camp’ myself. After the settlement and compensations were made, I had a cup of coffee with Daesung in the basement of the YG Entertainment building in Seoul and I said to him “I would like to see you smiling brightly again in front of the world with confidence.” Even now, I want to see Daesung doing well. He is still a young friend afterall.
Q: Why did Entertainment Relay decide to ignore you, the family’s representative, and choose to meet with your mother?
A: I am frequently called to be on duty and on shift at the company I work at near Incheon Airport and I am always busy, always coming home late. My aunt usually ocmes and goes in and out of our house, but that day she had left to take care of some work. Entertainment Relay had come to our house during the hour only my parents were at home and carried on with the interview.
The interview, held by Korean news site E-Daily’s ‘Star-In’, clears up much of the issues KBS’ Entertainment Relay brought up, which brought much confusion as to who was telling the truth and caused the public to question the statements made by Daesung and YG Entertainment as to receiving forgiveness from the family and coming to a settlement.
What do you think of the issue? Should KBS have undergone more research before broadcasting such controversial news? Was there a hidden motive behind such a broadcast? Let us know what you think in a comment!
