Not many TV viewers know it, but “Gag Concert,” a Sunday night comedy show on KBS 2, recently received a warning from regulators. The reason: rudely addressing President-elect Park Geun-hye.
In one of the 100-minute show’s most popular segments, “Brave Fellas,” a comedian said, “Listen well, Madam Park. You’d better fulfill your numerous promised policies for workers, students and businesses. But don’t do one thing _ comedy. Never try to make people laugh,’cause it’s our job.”
The Korea Communication Standards Commission took issue with the man for using impolite language, “debasing the broadcaster” and “breaking the rules of courtesy” for viewers. “It was also bad to politically satirize a leader who has yet to begin her tenure,” it added.
Did the state agency want to say that the comedian talked to the next leader too rudely and slighted her?
If so, the gag, according to KCSC version, should have been rephrased to something like, “If you don’t mind, let us say some words to you, Madam President-elect. Please try to keep your word with voters. But you don’t have to be concerned with making people laugh, let us humble fellows do the job …”
When officials become anxious about showing their loyalties to those in power, comedy sometimes becomes reality, and vice versa. It is no coincidence the current KCSC head was a former prosecutor specializing in maintaining public security, an ideological hard-liner.
People might as well laugh away the KCSC move as providing material for Gag Concert. However, there are reasons why they can’t easily do this: this society seems to be going back to the days of Park’s father when Koreans would dare not even dream of making fun of their august leader.
And too many people are already recognizing the traits of former President Park Chung-hee in his daughter. The junior Park is needlessly secretive and reclusive when making important decisions, while not embracing different views among her entourage when implementing them.
In a society where comedy is hard to do, real life can’t help but become the most painful form of comedy, tragicomedy.
