Korean dramas that face criticism for sexually explicit scenes: The woman’s body became a tool to increase ratings?
Despite being carefully censored, some Korean dramas still include scenes that make the audience uncomfortable.
Korean dramas are always censored by the Korea Communication Standards Commission (KOCSC) to ensure that the visuals, dialogue, and storylines do not appear offensive to the viewers. However, there are still revealing scenes of the female characters that make the audience uncomfortable and have to be “handled” by the KOCSC.
The drama Jeon Woo Chi used to be criticized by many viewers because of the scene where an old man slowly took off a young girl’s shirt and touched her chest. Although it was only a quick glance, this scene still faced heavy criticism for being offensive, especially when it was set in the context of a heroic historical drama.
Kim Ji Young in “May Queen” once had a scene in which she wore a dress with a plunging neckline, showing off her sexiness for the purpose of attracting men’s attention. This scene sparked a lot of controversy on social media, especially when the character expressed anger because her bust was not noticed. Revealing body in an objectionable way, degrading the image of women are the viewers’ thoughts on this scene.
The historical drama The Slave Hunters used to be under fire for letting the female character wear a revealing version of Hanbok by using a cloth to wrap her breasts tightly, without putting on a coat.
The drama A Gentleman’s Dignity used a blurring effect in the scene where the main lead played by Jang Dong Gun imagines Kim Ha Neul’s character walking out of the bathroom without wearing any clothes. Despite not displaying the female lead’s nudity, Jang Dong Won’s expression made this scene criticized for being offensive.
Lovers of Haeundae also got negative reactions for letting Jo Yeo Jung‘s character wear a sexy Hanbok, take off her shirt, and dance provocatively in a bar. In this drama, an intentionally close-up shot of the supporting actress Nam Gyu Ri’s body in a wedding dress also made viewers uncomfortable.
