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A man accused of causing a disturbance at a Seoul bar and leaving without paying claimed to be a comedian recruited through a major terrestrial broadcaster's open audition — but he turned out to be merely an aspiring comic, sources said.
The Korea Broadcast Comedians Association said Saturday that the man, identified only as A, "was not recruited through an open audition and is clearly impersonating one."
The association represents all comedians hired through open and special recruitment by terrestrial and cable broadcasters across South Korea.
The association said it had thoroughly cross-checked its membership roster and broadcaster-by-broadcaster intake lists, and found that A does not appear on any domestic broadcaster's open or special recruitment records. He was confirmed to have worked as an aspiring comedian at performance venues in the Daehangno theater district.
"It is deeply regrettable that the reputation and honor of all comedians who are still pouring blood, sweat and tears into their work on stage and on air is being tarnished by one individual's misconduct through impersonation of an open-audition title," the association said. "We hope that working comedians will no longer suffer harm from unverified claims and reporting."
The association added that it would take an active stance at the organizational level against comedian impersonation.
The case came to light Tuesday, when JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," a TV news magazine program, aired a tip from a bar owner near Hongik University Station in Mapo-gu, Seoul, who said a man claiming to be a comedian recruited through a major terrestrial broadcaster's open audition had caused a disturbance at his whisky bar.
The bar owner said A had been drinking with companions on Sept. 2 when a dispute broke out with a foreign customer, after which A hurled profanities and threw a beer glass on the floor.
A rebuffed the account, saying he had been angered by the behavior of the foreign customer and the bar owner. On the unpaid bill, he said the owner had cleared away their drinks and told them to leave, which was why he had not paid.
The bar owner said he had filed a complaint against A on charges of obstruction of business, dining and dashing, and destruction of property. Police have taken over the case from the local precinct and are investigating.
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