Webtoon artist/ entertainer Kian84, along with other members of the cast from Coupang Play's 'SNL Korea,' faced reports of violating indoor smoking regulations.

Kian84 took on the role of host in the latest episode of Coupang Play's comedy show, 'SNL Korea Season 5,' which premiered on the 27th of last month at 8 PM.

In various segments, Kian84's comedic performances sparked laughter, including in a parody of 'Studio of Love,' where he continued his antics, leaving fellow cast members astonished.

Playing the part of a bachelor cartoonist who serializes 'Fashion King' in the comic magazine "Treasure Island," Kian84 bemoaned his age upon arrival, remarking, "I'm getting older, and this time I really must settle down... My mother is quite concerned," before abruptly pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. After lighting it with a lighter from his pocket, he took a puff.

In response, the crew on site tried to intervene, expressing concerns like "What if it actually catches fire?" and "The thrill of live broadcasting," but Kian84 shrugged it off, stating, "In the 90s, smoking on TV was acceptable."

Even afterward, Kian84 continued to realistically portray smoking in line with the character of the cartoonist in the segment. The scene of the crew preemptively stopping Kian84 from smoking again became another comedic moment.

Addressing Kian84's indoor smoking controversy on 'SNL Korea Season 5', Coupang Play stated on April 29, "We want to emphasize that 'SNL Korea Season 5' is a comedy show that thrives on satire and unrestrained parody," adding, "We aimed to incorporate satire about that era."

However, negative public opinion lingered. On the same day, reports were made to the Ilsandong-gu Office regarding indoor smoking violations by Kian84 and other members of the SNL Korea cast.

The informant, speaking through the online community DC Inside, explained that "SNL Korea comprises mainly prerecorded segments and live comedy performances with studio audiences. They clarified that the live comedy segments are conducted in a studio located in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, registered as a cultural and assembly facility. Furthermore, they emphasized that the entire building is designated as a non-smoking area. To avoid charges and fines for indoor smoking violations, Kian84 would need to prove that the cigarettes he used did not contain nicotine."

Continuing, the informant asserted "Kian84's influential role as a celebrity commentator on broadcasts has a significant impact on society. Many young people tend to emulate the lives of celebrities so they need to be more cautious."

Additionally, they urged, "Strict measures are necessary due to the absence of regulations concerning OTT platforms. They pointed out that scenes of indoor smoking had appeared without censorship in previous episodes, which they deemed a matter of serious concern. Ilsandong-gu Office was called upon to impose fines on Kian84 and the SNL cast."

Citing Article 9, Paragraph 4, Subsection 16 of the National Health Promotion Act, they clarified that buildings with a floor area exceeding 1000 square meters, used for offices, factories, or mixed purposes, must designate the entire facility as a non-smoking area. Violators could face fines of up to 100,000 won for smoking indoors in designated non-smoking areas. The netizen also mentioned the case of EXO member D.O. receiving a fine for smoking in a waiting room last September.

However, they noted that smoking scenes in OTT programs are not subject to regulation, unlike terrestrial broadcasting programs governed by broadcasting laws.

OTT programs fall under the Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection Act, which prohibits harmful sites or illegal distribution of information but does not regulate scenes of drinking or smoking.

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