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Emergency Press Conference for ‘Under Fifteen’ Amid Public Outcry
On March 24, MBN announced that it will hold an emergency production briefing for its new survival show Under Fifteen in response to growing controversy over alleged child sexualization.
The briefing is scheduled for March 25 at 2 PM KST, and is expected to address public concerns and release a preview of the program.
Under Fifteen is promoted as the world’s first K-pop survival show aimed at discovering and training talented girls under the age of 15 to debut in a new global girl group. However, the show has recently come under fire from civil groups like the Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media, which issued a statement warning of child exploitation and sexualization risks.
As backlash intensifies, the production team faces pressure to clarify its intentions and ensure the safety and ethical treatment of its young contestants.
Demand for Cancellation for “Child Sexualization”
On March 20th, the Korean Women’s Political Network demanded that broadcast network MBN strengthen its review of programs that sexually objectify children, saying, “MBN, cancel the broadcast of ‘Under15,’ which sexually objectifies children.”
The Korean Women’s Political Network criticized the show concept, saying, “The participant profiles include a ‘barcode,’ along with their name, year of birth, nationality, and position. It is an image that treats the participants as if they were commodities. In the teaser video, minors aged 8-15 make sexually appealing expressions like an adult girl group and perform in revealing outfits such as crop tops.”
The organization also expressed concern by stating, “In a position where they are objectified based on age and gender, young girls are consumed as beings who bring joy to adults, and they experience their life’s direction being determined by one-sided evaluation and judgment.
“Using language such as ‘prodigy,’ ‘debut,’ and ‘success’ to misinterpret the sexual objectification of children as something positive, hiding the meaning of sexual objectification inherent in it, and mobilizing them for programs as if they were wonderful challenges for the future is child labor exploitation and sexual exploitation“, they added.
Finally, the organization concluded, “From the viewers’ perspective, ‘flashy multimedia effects and narratives’ can make them accept the girls’ singing and dancing skills without recognizing them as ‘abuse’ or ‘exploitation.’ They can distort and perceive the objectification of women and children as ‘culture.’ Regardless of the positive image and effect of K-pop, we cannot help but criticize girl groups’ Lolita concepts”, adding, “The sexual objectification of children is at a serious level in broadcast programs. We hope that government-level regulations on broadcast content that sexually objectifies children will be established as soon as possible.”
Intense Reactions from Netizens
Meanwhile, premiering on March 31, MBN’s “UNDER15” is the world’s first K-pop generational shift audition show exclusively for prodigies aged 15 and under. The program is produced by CReA Studio’s CEO Seo Hye-jin, the mastermind behind the “Miss Trot” and “Mr. Trot” series, as well as “Burning Trotman” and “King of Singers”.
So far, “UNDER15″’s official account has revealed the profiles of its 59 contestants. These profiles included participants’ names, ages, nationalities and positions. The controversy stems from the fact that the youngest contestant was born in 2016—making them just 8 years old. According to “UNDER15″‘s official account, five contestants born in 2016 are listed among the 59 participants. What shocked the public even more was the release of profile pictures where these young girls were dressed in crop tops and posed with expressions mimicking adults.
On March 13, a K-pop fan on X (formerly Twitter) raised concerns “They were literally born yesterday”, which garnered support from over 17,000 international netizens.
Many responded by quoting the post, leaving comments such as “This is insane”, “Korea is already facing a major scandal over pedophilia, and yet, here they are making something like this?”, “This is a horrifying industry”, “Korea never fails to scare me” and “What is wrong with this country?”
As of March 13, the original post criticizing the show amassed over 4.7 million views.
“UNDER15″‘s official account have also been flooded with critical comments from international fans, including “This is child abuse”, “Multi-position? Her position should be in school” and “Stop this immediately.”
As of March 14, the comment sections on MBN’s “UNDER15” official social media and YouTube accounts were completely disabled. Up until March 13, comments were open, but after receiving backlash against the show’s airing, they were closed.
Korean viewers also began questioning the entire premise of “UNDER15”, leading to growing opposition against its airing. Facing controversy even before its premiere, the program now closed its communication channels.
Meanwhile, on March 11, CReA Studio released an official press statement defending “UNDER15”, stating, “The intense debut battle of the new Alpha Generation has begun. We invite viewers to witness the raw, energetic performances of these fresh new faces who will lead the future of K-pop. These contestants have such a strong will and conviction for their dreams that they will completely shatter any concerns or prejudices from adults who think they are too young to start an idol career.”
Connection to Kim Soo-hyun & Kim Sae-ron’s situation
Many have also drawn connections to the recent allegations of grooming involving actor Kim Soo-hyun.
Previously, the bereaved family of the late Kim Sae-ron claimed via Garosero Research Institute on March 10 that the actress was in a relationship with Kim Soo-hyun from the age of 15 until she was 21, spanning six years (2015~2021).
Following this, text messages from Kim Sae-ron to Kim Soo-hyun, photos of Kim Soo-hyun kissing her cheek and the letter he sent her during his military service were disclosed, sparking further controversy.
Initially, Kim Soo-hyun’s agency Gold Medalist denied the accusations, calling them “blatantly false”. However, as more allegations surfaced, they have since remained silent, fueling further criticism that, if proven true, the relationship constituted grooming.