JTBC’s weekend drama “The Apartment Job” has reached an agreement with the Korea Association of Residential Property Managers following criticism over how apartment management workers are portrayed in the series.
The drama centers on an alleged fraud case involving 17.8 billion won in long term repair reserve funds at a large apartment complex.
The association argued that some dialogue and fictional scenes could give viewers the impression that corruption is common in apartment management offices.
According to the association, the drama includes scenes involving a property manager allegedly hiding wrongdoing and an accountant changing bank account records to take money.
It claimed that these portrayals could damage the reputation of residential property managers and cause confusion about their real work.
The association said it sent formal protest letters to JTBC and the production company before the drama premiered. Its members also held meetings and demonstrations outside JTBC’s headquarters in Seoul.
Following the discussions, JTBC reportedly agreed to include notices explaining that the drama’s events and characters are fictional.
The association stated, “JTBC promised to add subtitles stating that the story is fictional and to reduce expressions that could cause misunderstandings about real property management work.”
JTBC also agreed to include a message in the final episode recognizing the work and efforts of residential property managers.
The agreement comes after the association accused “The Apartment Job” of presenting a small number of corruption cases in a way that could make them appear common across the apartment management industry.
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