MBC's When the Phone Rings kicked off with a bang—but not without controversy. In the premiere episode, Hong Hee Joo's portrayal of a sign language journalist stirred up backlash, with some viewers feeling a particular scene allegedly mocked sign language. Despite the drama's gripping storyline, the controversy left a sour note. On November 29, the production team took to the viewers' bulletin board, offering a sincere apology: "We deeply regret causing concern with certain sign language scenes.

When The Phone Rings receives backlash over a sign language scene

The K-drama, centered around Baek SaEon (Yoo Yeon-Seok) and Hong Hee Joo (Chae So Bin), features the female lead as a sign language interpreter for a news program. In the premiere episode, a transmission error occurs during a live broadcast, causing the program to freeze on Hong Hee Joo’s sign for the word “mountain.” Unfortunately, the gesture is misinterpreted as an obscene hand signal, while the anchor continues with the segment on disaster preparedness.

After the episode aired, the drama faced backlash for allegedly mocking and disrespecting sign language, with many viewers expressing their offense over the scene. “The scene was clearly intended to be playful and humorous, but it was offensive and unsettling. Mocking sign language, a vital communication tool for the Deaf, is unacceptable. It’s baffling how anyone thought this could be comedic,” a viewer commented and several others pointed out the issue as well.

Production clarifies, ‘no intent to ridicule..’

On December 1, after the show aired its fourth episode, the production team of the show released an official statement addressing the online backlash. “We take the feedback seriously that the drama’s depiction of sign language was inappropriate and resulted in mocking the Deaf community and Korean Sign Language. The intention was never to ridicule or belittle sign language, which is a precious tool of communication for the Deaf,” they wrote via viewers’ bulletin board, translated by KBI Zoom.

The production team of When the Phone Rings took full responsibility for the controversy, acknowledging their lack of sensitivity towards the Deaf community. The continued, “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.”

The team also emphasised the importance of sign language in the storyline, stating, “Sign language plays a critical role in the story as it helps the two protagonists, who have long been emotionally closed off, open their hearts and communicate. Through their journey of understanding each other’s language, we aim to highlight the value of sign language as a vital tool for human connection. Once again, we sincerely apologise.”

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