"Cheese in the Trap" producer Lee Yoon Jung issued a personal apology to webtoon writer, Soonkki, following a backlash from drama viewers regarding its divergence from the source material.
In an official statement published by OSEN, a spokesperson for the production team expresses their remorse for the direction of the series and its failure to consult with Soonkki on recent scripts.
"We apologize for growing concerns regarding the drama and webtoon," said the spokesperson for 'Cheese in the Trap.'" "We deeply apologize for not considering the feelings of the original webtoon author. We are also sorry for bringing inconvenience to cast [members] who participated in the production."
The tvN drama has come under fire for shifting the focus from the protagonist, Yoo Jung (Park Hae Jin) to Baek In Ho (Seo Kang Joon), the second male character of the webtoon.
Soonkki, who is responsible for writing the on-going webtoon, has been outspoken about the discrepancies between the original text and its television adaptation.
"Recently, we didn't respond to the webtoon author's blog post," said the spokesperson. "The remaining scripts which were not shared with Soonkki will be shared after the broadcast. Producer Lee has apologized to Soonkki privately, especially since we only shared the conclusion with her, recently."
According to the statement quoted by OSEN, Soonkki accepted the apology. The spokesperson went on to implore viewers to continue watching the drama, which was the result of 170 cast and crew members.
The controversy surrounding "Cheese in the Trap" reached a boiling point on February 26, when leading man Park Hae Jin expressed his disappointment with editing techniques used by producer-director Lee Yoon Jung and her failure to adhere to the original story written by Soonkki.
"I starred in a drama based on the webtoon, 'Cheese in the Trap,' but as of right now, I'm not sure what drama I am in," said Park, during a candid OSEN interview.
The reporter went on to question whether the deletion of his scenes could be attributed to backlash from on-set bias, but Park disavowed knowledge of such activities.
"There was no on-set bias, as far as I'm concerned," said Park.
His most controversial statement during the interview came when he was questioned about the lack of screentime dedicated to his character, Yoo Jung.
"I noticed that Yoo Jung doesn't appear much in the broadcasts either," said Park. "I want to ask why."
The production team did not immediately address the interview published by OSEN.
On February 28, "Cheese in the Trap" announced that the series would release a special episode of outtakes and bloopers, but did not confirm the addition of deleted scenes featuring Park Hae Jin.
Meanwhile, "Cheese in the Trap" will conclude its run on March 1.
