"What the heck is that line?"- Lee Min-ho's dialogue on pregnancy from recent When The Stars Gossip episode receives backlash from K-netz

South Korean actor Lee Min-ho's dialogue on pregnancy from the recent When The Stars Gossip episode gained widespread criticism from Korean viewers. On January 19, 2025, Netflix and tvN unveiled episode 6 of the ongoing space romance drama starring Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin.

When The Stars Gossip episode 6 depicted a scene between Gong Ryong (Lee Min-ho) and Eve Kim (Gong Hyo-jin) discussing the progress in mice behavior towards each other in the space setting. While the discussion was about whether the two mice would mate, Eve Kim showed a lack of certainty.

Gong Ryong reassured her that they would and stated that he was an expert when it comes to “s*x” and “pregnancy.” The dialogue did not sound absurd in the dubbed version or in the version with English subtitles. However, Korean-speaking viewers have allegedly found the dialogue offensive towards obstetricians and gynecologists.

Netizens interpreted the Pachinko actor’s lines as implying that Gong Ryong was good at impregnating. The dialogue became a hot topic on online forums in South Korea, where Netizens weighed in with their opinions criticizing the makers of the show, including writer Seo Sook-hyang.

“What the heck is that line?”- A netizen reacted on TheQoo.

K-netizen reacts to Lee Min-ho's pregnancy dialogue in When The Stars Gossip (Image Via TheQoo)

“Seo Sook-hyang, why are you suddenly like this?”- a user stated

“I guess the writer really likes the word s*x. It was the same in Jealousy Incarnate before. The dialogue is really bad. He says s*x s*x everywhere."- another user stated

Netizens criticized the actors for picking scripts with allegedly offensive dialogues.

“Was this the only content that could be made with a space background? I don't understand why they spent 50 billion won to make this kind of drama with sci-fi material.”- a viewer said

“Do you think using s*x words make you look cool? But you have to know when to use them. You just seem like a weird person. That's an insult to an obstetrician and gynecologist. Actors, please read the script carefully before you go in. The likeability is also too low.”- another viewer added

“How many times do actors usually read the script before they go into acting? If they decide after reading even the first script, it's disappointing for the actors.”- a netizen reacted

Netizens further found the lines to be allegedly insulting OB/GYN doctors.

“What on earth do you think an obstetrician and gynecologist does? I'm really sorry.”- a user said

“S*x, s*x, it's not like it's a meal, what kind of obstetrician/gynecologist would say that?”- a netizen said

“Did you learn the word "s*x" recently? Why did you keep saying "s*x" from the first week of the drama? The lines aren't witty or funny, it's just weird.”- another netizen wrote

---

When The Stars Gossip, featuring Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin, witnessed a rise in ratings on the latest episode

According to Nielsen Korea, When The Stars Gossip episode 5 aired on Saturday, January 18, 2025, and recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 1.8 percent. Notably, these ratings were one percent lower than the previous episode.

Furthermore, on January 19, 2025, episode 6 marked a nationwide viewership rating of 2.9 percent, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous episode of the Netflix space rom-com series.

When The Stars Gossip tells the story of an OB/GYN doctor named Gong Ryong, played by Lee Min-ho, who travels to space with a secret mission. Gong Ryong meets Gong Hyo-jin’s character Eve Kim at the space station, who is known to be a perfectionist. Eve Kim is on her first mission as the commander of the space station hosting Gong Ryong as a tourist.

---

Meanwhile, When The Stars Gossip episode 7 is scheduled to be aired on Saturday, January 25, 2025, on tvN and Netflix.