According to Soompi, in the first episode of the Korean drama "When the phone rings" aired on November 22, the female lead character Hong Hee Joo (played by Chae Soo Bin) is working as a sign language interpreter for a television news program.
Due to a video transmission error during the live broadcast, the show was interrupted at the scene where Hong Hee Joo made a sign for "mountain", which was misunderstood as an impolite hand gesture. The female announcer next to her then deliberately used the sign to talk to the female lead.
After the episode aired, it was accused of making fun of sign language. Some viewers expressed that they felt offended by the scene.
In response to criticism, the film crew of "When the Phone Rings" has officially apologized for the above scene.
The film's crew clarified that they did not intend to mock sign language in any way, but admitted that it was "inadequate" in depicting the difficulties faced by deaf people and sign language users.
The production team emphasized that in this film, sign language is an important element, playing a key role in making the two main characters open up and communicate with each other.
“Through the journey of two characters struggling to understand each other’s language, we will do our best to ensure that ‘When the Phone Rings’ is remembered as a film that fully conveys the value of sign language as an important tool that connects people together,” the production team said.
"When the Phone Rings" is currently airing its fourth episode. The drama revolves around the arranged marriage of Baek Sa Eon (Yoo Yeon Seok) and Hong Hee Joo (Chae Soo Bin), combining romance with thriller and suspense.
The male lead is the youngest spokesperson of the Blue House, the female lead is a mute sign language interpreter. Their 3-year cold marriage begins to change after the male lead receives a threatening call from a kidnapper of the female lead.
