"When The Phone Rings" Production Team Apologizes For Controversial Sign Language Scene

The production team behind MBC’s “When the Phone Rings” has apologized for a controversial scene from the drama’s premiere.

In the first episode of “When the Phone Rings,” which aired on November 22, main character Hong Hee Joo (played by Chae Soo Bin) is seen working at her job as a sign language interpreter for a news program. Due to a transmission error during the live broadcast, the program freezes on Hong Hee Joo signing the word “mountain,” which is mistakenly interpreted as an obscene hand gesture.

After the episode aired, the drama came under fire for allegedly mocking sign language, with some viewers expressing that they felt offended by the scene.

On November 29, the “When the Phone Rings” production team released a formal apology for the scene in question. The team clarified that they had not intended to mock sign language in any way, but acknowledged that they had “fallen short” in their portrayal of the difficulties experienced by the deaf and those who use the language.

Their full statement is as follows:

We apologize for giving you cause for concern through part of a scene about sign language.

The production team is taking very seriously the criticism that “When the Phone Rings” dealt with sign language inappropriately and, in the process, mocked the deaf and Korean sign language.

As “When the Phone Rings” is a drama that was produced around the important theme of communication between people, we had absolutely no intention of mocking or belittling sign language, which is a precious communication tool for the deaf. However, we humbly acknowledge that during the production process, the production team fell short in their efforts to more carefully study and portray the difficulties experienced by the deaf and those who use Korean sign language. As we wrap up the drama, we will take care and work hard to prevent this kind of mistake from reoccurring in the future.

In “When the Phone Rings,” sign language is an important subject that plays a crucial role in getting the two main characters to finally open their long-closed hearts and communicate with one another. Through the journey of the two characters who struggle to understand one another’s language before finally arriving at communication, we will work hard to ensure that [“When the Phone Rings”] is remembered as a drama that fully conveys the value of sign language as an important tool that connects one person to another. We ask that you continue to watch our drama with interest and criticize us if something is lacking.

Once again, we bow our heads in apology.

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