Seo Hye Jin, CEO of CReA Studio and producer of the controversial survival program Under 15, is now facing legal action from contestants who accuse her of exploitation. After the show was canceled in both Korea and Japan amid mounting criticism for sexualizing minors, Seo reportedly attempted to push the project into Southeast Asia, pressuring participants to continue activities abroad.
On September 15, two contestants from the show, referred to as A and B, filed an injunction at the Seoul Western District Court seeking to suspend the validity of their exclusive contracts with CReA Entertainment. According to their application, both had signed performance contracts in late 2024 and exclusive management deals in January 2025 after being chosen as finalists for the debut group formed through Under 15.
The program, designed around girls under 15 competing to form a K-pop group, drew intense backlash before airing. Critics condemned the show for dressing minors in heavy makeup and mature costumes, forcing them to replicate adult K-pop stage aesthetics. Initially slated to premiere on MBN on March 31, the broadcast was canceled just days before launch after 129 civic organizations demanded the project be scrapped. A rebranded version for KBS Japan also collapsed after accusations of “backdoor programming.”
Despite these failures, Seo allegedly shifted responsibility onto the contestants, accusing them of breaking promises and refusing to release them from their contracts. The lawsuit claims she pressured A and B to continue training in group housing, dismissed their withdrawal requests, and even threatened them with comments like, “I won’t let you go easily.”
A and B argue that pushing them into overseas activities—particularly in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries—constitutes a major deviation from the original promise of a “K-pop idol debut,” jeopardizing their education and forcing them into exploitative conditions. Their legal team added that this appeared to be an attempt to offset the company’s financial losses from failed domestic and Japanese broadcasts.
Attorney Noh Jong-eon of Law Firm Jonjae, representing the contestants, highlighted violations of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), stressing that Under 15 prioritized corporate profit over child welfare. He argued that the program amounted to emotional abuse by commercially sexualizing minors and neglecting their fundamental right to protection.
Sources: nate
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