The highly anticipated tvN drama Signal 2, whose broadcast was indefinitely postponed due to actor Cho Jin-woong’s past juvenile delinquency controversy, is finally set to meet viewers next month.
tvN announced on November 6 that ‘Signal 2’ has been scheduled to air every Monday and Tuesday at 10 p.m. starting December 7. On the premiere date, episodes 1 and 2 will air back-to-back with some edited content to maintain a smooth narrative flow.
‘Signal 2’ is the sequel to the hit 2016 drama ‘Signal’, featuring the return of original main cast members including Kim Hye-soo, Cho Jin-woong, and Lee Je-hoon. The story follows detectives from the past and present communicating via walkie-talkie to solve long-term unsolved cases.
The series was originally produced as a special project commemorating tvN’s 20th anniversary. However, in December of last year while post-production was underway, allegations surfaced that Cho Jin-woong had received juvenile protective measures for crimes committed during his youth, leading to an indefinite postponement of the broadcast. Cho subsequently announced his retirement from the entertainment industry.
Regarding the scheduling decision, tvN stated, “The inappropriate past actions of a specific cast member are an issue that the channel cannot take lightly,” but added, “This is not a project belonging to just one individual.”
The network continued, “We believe it is necessary to separate our evaluation of the individual cast member from the intrinsic value of the work and the efforts of the creators who participated in it.”
tvN explained, “We explored modification methods utilizing video technology and even conducted tests to replace the character using artificial intelligence (AI), but there were limitations in naturally implementing acting expressions and narrative flow. Consequently, applying such technology in the final cut proved difficult.”
They added, “The release of this work does not mean we are condoning or justifying past issues. We will deliver the original story and meaning of the work while never forgetting our responsibility as a broadcasting channel.”
