The K-POP audition program MBN ‘Under Fifteen’, which only allows girls under the age of 15 to participate, appealed, “We want to prevent children from being hurt by distorted facts regarding the child sexualization controversy.”
An emergency briefing regarding the production of MBN's new entertainment program ‘Under Fifteen’ was held on the afternoon of the 25th at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Crea Studio CEO Seo Hye-jin, Co-CEO Hwang In-young, and PD Yong Seok-in attended.
CEO Hwang In-young opened the discussion by saying, “There have been various controversies raised, and I want to express my regret and apologies for causing concern.”
CEO Hwang stated, “While producing the show, we sometimes get caught up in unexpected controversies. In this case, the suspicions that have arisen are being exaggerated as if they are true, causing significant harm not only to the production company but also to many participants and performers. After much consideration on how to end unnecessary controversies, we decided to hold this unusual meeting. I wanted to provide a clear explanation regarding the inaccuracies.”
He added, “Those who create broadcasts should be evaluated based on the content. I wanted to protect those who participated through this opportunity.”
Regarding concerns about exposing children under 15 to competition, CEO Hwang In-young said, “There were questions about whether there was a problem with setting an age limit, and whether there were no concerns. It’s not that we didn’t think about it at all.”
CEO Hwang explained, “The biggest motivation was the desire to host an audition for Generation Alpha. When we produced ‘K-Pop Star’ in the 2000s, teenagers won and were runners-up, surprising the older generation. Friends born in the 21st century are growing up in a very different media environment than we did. They live in an era where K-Pop is the standard and want to showcase their talents on a global stage. I wanted to open the door of opportunity for that generation. I believe that children under 15 also have skills and abilities but are being neglected due to institutional barriers. Broadcasting can be an official route to showcase talent to the public, and I wanted to hold an audition that focuses on potential and helps develop talent. I thought it would be meaningful to open a field that had not been explored before, and I considered the positive aspects.”
He continued, “Initially, we were thinking of a younger generation that was not a girl group, but the girls had overwhelming talent, which led to this outcome. I regret that we should have taken more precautions to prevent such controversies, but we were attentive throughout the entire process. Looking at idol content recently, it is different from ten years ago. Nowadays, I can’t think of a stage that is considered sexualization of idols. The current Generation Alpha does not imitate such stages. I learned a lot by seeing what kind of stage they think is cool and want to emulate.”
He added, “There may be various concerns, but we have been preparing and producing this project for over a year, so I had an optimistic thought that people would be moved when it is revealed. However, due to various recent external factors, there are people expressing concerns, and there are suspicions that it is intentional, but that is absolutely not the case. I believe we must prevent anything that would hurt the participants.”
He also stated, “It is not true that we did not prepare for controversies. We are aware of the pros and cons that participants or their guardians may face. They participated with hope for the bright aspects.” He added, “I want to emphasize that we communicated very closely during the production process, more than any other audition.”
In particular, regarding the ‘barcode’ included in the profiles of the participants that sparked the ‘child sexualization’ controversy, CEO Seo Hye-jin said, “I want to say that there was a huge misunderstanding. The barcode was taken from the concept of a student ID. I thought of ‘Under Fifteen’ as a school that nurtures dreams and hopes. Therefore, I was very surprised that the barcode was interpreted as something sexual. However, I took down all the profiles because I was worried that friends would be too hurt by the thumbnail. I was very surprised to hear discussions about sexual exploitation of a 9-year-old girl with a student ID.”
MBN previously stated on the 21st, “We take the concerns from all sectors of our society very seriously,” and “We will fully review the program's details and broadcasting status before making a statement.”
In response, CEO Seo Hye-jin said, “Crea Studio uses the entire production budget. MBN is a platform. Crea and MBN's positions are not different. However, we mentioned the review because we feel a sense of responsibility. MBN has no responsibility for the controversy.”
CEO Hwang In-young also agreed that “the timing of the scheduling must be viewed strictly,” stating, “The reason we released the video was not to show our determination to proceed, but because we hoped that the friends participating in this program would not be consumed in a frame that is different from the truth. It was a necessary response to protect their honor.” CEO Hwang eventually shed tears while mentioning the possibility of halting the broadcast.
PD Yong Seok-in said, “The children are not even thinking that the broadcast might not happen. They are still practicing hard and doing their best. They are very much looking forward to the broadcast. That is the children's sincerity. It is regrettable for the production team that they are suffering from significant harm due to distortion.” He added, “It should not happen that the broadcast does not take place. The wounds that children or parents would receive are unimaginable. We are doing our best to present this result to the world.”
CEO Seo Hye-jin stated, “I will inform you once the decision regarding the broadcast is made,” emphasizing, “I want to reiterate that our intentions were absolutely not like that.”
Finally, CEO Hwang In-young added, “I hope the audition will be a program that breaks the devil's editing and the sexualization formula of girl groups.”
‘Under Fifteen’ is a competition program aimed at discovering K-Pop prodigies under the age of 15 and nurturing a new girl group. It is a 5th generation K-Pop audition that opens the door of opportunity for Generation Alpha, who have already chosen their path as idols. A total of 59 participants of various nationalities, aged 8 to 15, will appear.
‘Under Fifteen’ was scheduled to premiere on the 31st, but recently, civic groups such as the Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media (Minjoo) expressed concerns about the sexualization of children, leading to a flood of worries about the program. In response, ‘Under Fifteen’ decided to hold an emergency press conference to clarify its position.
[Shin Young-eun, Star Today Reporter]
