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On March 24, 2025, the South Korean media outlet Tenasia reported that MBN would hold an emergency briefing session to decide the fate of the upcoming entertainment program UNDER FIFTEEN amidst the ongoing backlash. The meeting will be held on March 25, 2025, at the Stanford Hotel, Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Many important personalities, including the CEO of Crea Studio, Seo Hye-jin, PD Yong Seok-in, and PD Lee Kook-yong, will be attending the conference. For those unversed, the variety program has been receiving backlash for alleged s*xual objectification.
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According to the publication, UNDER FIFTEEN has been described as the world's first-ever prodigy discovery project intended to find children under fifteen. The audition program aims to develop a fifth-generation girl group with skills and talent that transcend the age.
However, the show's format has not received favorable feedback from the viewers. They concluded it as a project that would objectify and commercialize children.
MBN released a statement about the ongoing controversy with UNDER FIFTEEN
MBN mentioned that they have been taking into consideration the concerns of various sections of life. They had comprehensively reviewed the details of the show, including whether they wanted to release it or not. The broadcasting network mentioned:
"We are taking the concerns of all walks of life in our society regarding UNDER FIFTEEN seriously. MBN will comprehensively review the details of the program, including whether or not to air it, and will soon announce our position."
Meanwhile, the production team conveyed the emotions felt by the participants. They addressed the disappointment and unfortunate events caused due to the ongoing controversy. The representative said:
"It is very disappointing and unfortunate that various controversies have arisen before the first episode has even been released, causing extreme shock and hurt to the young participants and their guardians."
Additionally, the Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media (CDM) has released a statement condemning the program. They expressed frustration about how the variety show would commercialize the minors and treat them as mere tools. They strongly emphasized that the show had encouraged children to compete, putting excessive physical and mental burden on them.
They further elaborated that the program had intended to s*xually objectify children, which they cited as child abuse. The Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media stated that this would promote unfair labor practices, which could violate the rights of minors. Hence, they could not tolerate it.
In recent news, the production team of the variety program has uploaded a teaser video. They encouraged viewers to check and evaluate it.
