Jang Sung-kyu Publicly Apologizes for 'Portrait Controversy' on 'Maritel V2' Six Years Later

Broadcaster Jang Sung-kyu has directly addressed and apologized for the 'portrait controversy' that arose during a live broadcast of 'My Little Television V2' six years ago.

A video titled 'But Which Way is the Brake?' was released on the YouTube channel 'Manri Jang Seong-gyu' on the 16th. The broadcast showed Jang Sung-kyu helping WJSN's Da-young with her driving lessons while also giving singer K.Will a ride to his schedule.

During their drive, the topic of 'car accident experiences' naturally came up. In response to Jang Sung-kyu's question, K.Will readily admitted, 'Many. My schedule car had a lot of accidents.' He then recalled, 'You know about one too. That was the biggest accident. This might be the right place to talk about it,' leading to the story of the traffic accident from six years prior.

Indeed, in September 2019, the van K.Will was traveling in collided with the median barrier on the Gyeongbu Expressway near the Geumho Interchange. A stylist who was a passenger sustained injuries and was taken to the hospital, while K.Will and his manager, though not severely injured, received treatment at a nearby hospital for detailed examinations.

The issue was that 'Maritel V2,' featuring K.Will's manager, was being broadcast live at the exact same time. K.Will detailed the situation: 'At that time, my current manager was a graduate of magic. Because of that, he was cast for the manager special on 'Maritel V2,' which you and Hyung Don were hosting. He was thrilled when he got the offer. I told him to go, but I had an event out of town that day. So, another manager friend was driving my car with him that day, and it was raining so heavily. I thought, 'It's raining really hard, this is dangerous,' and then I felt the car spin on the highway.'

He continued, 'News reports came out. 'Maritel' was live back then. The manager was supposed to black out the celebrity's face in a photo if he lost a game against the MCs, but Hyung Don took it and drew two lines on it. Viewers watching the live broadcast were like, 'OMG, they say K.Will had an accident right now,' he recounted the sequence of events that accidentally sparked the controversy.

Jang Sung-kyu summarized, 'He got into a car accident, and they made a memorial portrait.' K.Will added, 'And then what happened next...' choosing to leave some details unsaid. He further mentioned, 'We talked a lot back then,' to which Jang Sung-kyu responded, 'I felt sorry about it for a long time,' as he recalled the incident and offered his public apology.

As the controversy escalated, the 'Maritel V2' production team deleted the video clip containing the problematic scene and excluded the segment from the main broadcast. Jung Hyung-don also issued a statement through his agency, saying, 'The incident during the live internet broadcast of 'Maritel V2' was my fault. I sincerely regret my excessive actions driven by a mere desire for a gag, and I have personally contacted K.Will to offer my apologies.'

He further stated, 'Because it was a live broadcast, I was unaware of K.Will's traffic accident, which makes me feel even more apologetic. After the live broadcast, I realized my actions were problematic and respectfully consulted with the production team, so I believe it was not included in the main broadcast. I will strive to show more careful and responsible behavior in the future. Once again, I sincerely apologize,' he bowed his head repeatedly. /mk3244@osen.co.kr

[Photos] OSEN DB, Video Capture

Jang Sung-kyu began his career as an announcer for JTBC and has since transitioned to freelance, becoming a beloved figure on various variety shows. His witty remarks and candid personality bring laughter to many viewers. Recently, he has been engaging closely with fans through his YouTube channel 'Manri Jang Seong-gyu,' continuing to maintain his popularity.