Recently, VTV24’s official fanpage issued an apology after using a sensitive image of a famous Korean gamer in one of their programs.
During a livestream titled “Behind the Success of Professional Gamers,” the VTV24 team showed footage of a League of Legends player hitting his head against a wall after losing a match. Many fans of the player criticized the fanpage once the image aired, calling it a painful moment they did not want to revisit.
In response to the backlash, VTV24’s fanpage apologized for the program team’s insensitivity and announced they would remove the image while keeping the rest of the story about the journey to becoming a pro gamer.
The full apology reads:
“The livestream at 8 PM on November 5, 2024, titled ‘Behind the Success of Professional Gamers,’ focused on the growing professionalism of gaming communities in Vietnam and their impressive achievements at international tournaments.
The team also aimed to help the public better understand the huge physical and mental challenges pro gamers face on their path to glory.
In this context, the team included an image of a well-known gamer performing an action many fans prefer not to recall (only a blurred photo was used, no video). While the intention was to raise awareness and empathy for the pressures pro gamers endure, revisiting this moment unintentionally stirred negative emotions within the gaming community.
We sincerely apologize for the insensitivity in using this detail. The image has been removed, and the rest of the program sharing the journey of becoming a pro gamer remains unchanged.
Once again, we apologize and thank our audience!”
Despite the apology, many viewers still reacted with angry emojis under the VTV24 post about the program.
The livestream mainly highlighted the growing professionalism of Vietnam’s gaming communities and their notable achievements in international competitions. The hosts included BTV Sơn Lâm and Thuy Van, along with two famous Vietnamese gamers as guests: Le Ha Anh Tuan (born 2008) and Do Trung Thanh (nickname: Thanh Mu, born 1993).
