The Netflix series 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' has been embroiled in controversy over staff mistreatment.

On the 28th, allegations of mistreatment against extra cast members at the filming location of 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' emerged primarily on X (formerly known as Twitter).

That day, internet user A claimed, "'When Life' was a well-known avoided schedule even among extras," stating, "They even forced me to get a haircut, but nothing was provided. Elderly participants were left out in the cold winter and starved without a single meal provided, and we were told to have our meals within 30 minutes at any restaurant after being thrown anywhere."

Furthermore, they stated, "Even in the winter, the extras were not provided with costumes, and the costume team did not even allow thermal underwear. It ruins the fit while shooting winter scenes, they said. It was like treating us as slaves." They added, "On a day when snow was falling heavily, they made us wait outside, and the on-site actor was the first to bring us to the heater."

Also, B noted, "As I went to the transportation/maintenance team, they begged me to help because they were short on people, so I drove, but they didn't pay me and just complained. Who would feel good about that?" They added, "(The director) didn't give me the cue sign and yelled at me, saying 'What are you doing?' I replied, 'You didn't give me a cue sign,' and he shouted, 'What is that XX doing here?' It was an outrage. Since the rental time was already exceeded, when I said I couldn't do it, he called subcontractors the next day and talked bad about me."

They also claimed, "They always try to reduce rental fees, pay less wages, and overlook overtime pay. They say they don't know because it's a subcontract?" They stated, "In Jeonju, a whole day of filming - in Byeongyo, a whole day of filming - in Andong, night filming; they said they would film this for three consecutive days using different buses. They did not provide accommodation, and for dinner, we were served cold Mom's Touch burgers and a can of cola. There was no waiting room, and we were shivering outside for hours in sub-zero weather."

Additionally, B stated, "At first, since I was an outsider, I spoke formally and kindly explained things, but I heard the assistant's casting manager get on the bus and shout at the extras, 'Let’s get it together.' I could see the magic where the director and staff's words and expressions became nice whenever a starring actor appeared."

The identity of the individual who made the post has not yet been identified, and there has been no official confirmation of whether they are actually part of the filming crew. However, considering the specific filming locations and schedules mentioned, there is a prevailing sentiment in online communities that they could likely be a field person without real-name verification.

'When Life Gives You Tangerines' had previously been embroiled in controversy over 'inconvenient filming' during the shooting period. In 2023, an internet user expressed dissatisfaction, stating, "I went to the wheat field festival at the Gochang Academy Farm and noticed filming going on near the canola flower fields. As I entered the flower field to take pictures and walk around, a staff member stopped me, saying, 'You can't go here because we are filming a drama.' Then, as I was taking a picture of the direction of the canola flowers where they were filming, I was yelled at to 'not take pictures.'"

Additionally, that day, comments from others who claimed to have suffered similar experiences flooded in, revealing that the drama in question was 'When Life Gives You Tangerines.' As the controversy erupted, the production company stated to OSEN, "We have made efforts to minimize inconvenience in the process of ensuring safe filming and preventing spoiler leaks, but we sincerely apologize for not being able to give more careful attention to those who took the precious time to visit."

Meanwhile, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' is a drama depicting the life story of the spirited and defiant literary girl 'Oh Ae-sun' (IU, Moon So-ri) and the diligent and earnest 'Yang Kwan-sik' (Park Bo-gum, Park Hae-joon), which has generated significant buzz.

[Photo] Provided by Netflix

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