According to The Korea Times by Hankook Ilbo, the two ongoing dramas “Good Partner” and “My Sweet Mobster” are harshly criticized for showing 19+ one-night stand scenes despite being 15+ rated.
In particular, “The Good Partner” showed two characters Han Yu-ri (Nam Ji-hyun) and her colleague Jeon Eun-ho (Pyo Ji-hoon) having a one-night stand after getting drunk. The media outlet pointed out that this development was inconsistent with the narratives of Han Yu-ri, who has trauma about her father’s love affair. Moreover, Han Yu-ri doesn’t even consider Jeon Eun-ho a romantic partner, many viewers were taken aback by her unreasonable decision to have a one-night stand with him.
The one-night stand scene in “My Sweet Mobster” is more controversial. After Mi-ho (Moon Ji-in) spends a night with Il-young (Kim Hyun-jin), she unexpectedly gets pregnant and the two end up getting married. In addition, Il-young only begins to like Mi-ho after the news of her pregnancy following their steamy night. Seeing this scene, many viewers complained that this was outdated content that is not suitable for dramas nowadays.
Citing Section 25 of the Korea Communications Commission’s regulations on expressions of sexual scenes, the media emphasized that “broadcasts should not focus primarily on immoral and unhealthy relationships”. Therefore, 15+ content should be appropriate for teenagers, who are in the process of forming their sexual values, to watch.
In this modern era, the fact that portrayals of one-night stands appear in dramas so frequently may cause teenage viewers to accept it as something obvious and leave a negative impact on teenage viewers’ sexual awareness.
Aside from sexual scenes, K-drama fans also listed drinking and smoking scenes as cliché that drama writers should consider changing to suit their drama ratings and targeting audiences. In addition, such criticism also urges producers to think carefully when planning any scene in their dramas to create a healthy broadcasting culture.
Source: The Korea Times
