Mnet's 'Street World Fighter: Director's War' PD addresses teaser manipulation controversy ahead of premiere

Mnet's Street World Fighter: Director's War (Seudipha) held its production presentation on August 18 at Eliana Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. The show aired its first episode that same night at 10 PM.

PD Choi Jung-nam attended alongside ten choreographers: Nain, Lenan, Bada, Baek Gu-young, Baby Joo, Shimizu, In-gyu, Jung Min-jun, Casper, and Hash.

This is a new expansion of Mnet's dance series that began with Street Woman Fighter. Previous entries spotlighted dancers competing. Seudipha puts 'performance directors' — the people who plan and build stages — at the center instead.

Controversy arrived early. An April teaser featured silhouettes of directors credited on multiple artists' choreography, plus footage tied to Coachella, the Super Bowl halftime show, an Olympic opening ceremony, and large-scale world tour concerts. Performance director Kiira Harper went public: "I did not appear on this program and did not say such things. The production team asked 'who did you dance with' and I said 'I danced with Dr. Dre and Snoop at the Super Bowl.'" She called the editing "crazy."

Choi Jung-nam addressed the backlash directly at the presentation. "I am taking the previous incident seriously," he said, adding that he would "carefully examine details while proceeding with the program" to ensure it does not happen again. Whether that assurance holds depends on what the actual episodes show.