Kim Mi-ryeo was enraged by the group chat room where sexual harassment remarks were made

E Channel's first entertainment program 'Magic Castle', a children's sex education tutoring program, dispelled the fear of body changes through practical education for children going through puberty.

'Magic Castle', which aired on the 1st, revealed a sex education guide for adolescent children who experience growing pains due to changes in secondary sexual characteristics in the body. ‘Circumcision’ was the biggest concern for male students who participated in small group sex education classes. ‘Dads’ Do Kyung-wan, Ahn Jae-mo, and Kim Byeong-hyun also remembered their fearful childhood, saying, “For me, it wasn’t a choice, it was a compulsion.” However, sex education instructor Lee Si-hoon eased the male students' fears by explaining, "Nowadays, you can either do it or not. Circumcision occurs naturally after adolescence." Lee Si-hoon easily explained the structure and characteristics of the male body and taught how to keep the penis clean and how to urinate. Eva, a mother of two sons, was very satisfied with the sex education, saying, "My second son jumped around so much when he urinated that I wondered why he did that, but now I know."

Female students who participated in small group sex education tutoring were very interested in changes in their bodies, such as acne, menarche, and growth plates. Sex education instructor Jeong Han-sol asked children about puberty that comes with secondary sexual characteristics. Female students described puberty as “a time when I get very angry and irritated with my parents.” Ahn Jae-mo and Kim Byeong-hyeon, fathers of middle school daughters going through puberty, also expressed their difficulties, saying, “They get angry even when you talk to them.” Lee Si-hoon said, "Sleep-inducing hormones are produced late at night. Due to changes in sleep rhythm, I go to bed late, so I have to sleep until about 9 o'clock to control my emotions and recharge my physical condition. Also, I have to wake up early for school, so I have no choice but to be sensitive," and advises adolescent children to be more sensitive in the morning. He warned me to be careful.

There was also talk about ‘menstruation’, the biggest change in secondary sexual characteristics. Although menstruation occurs only among women, Lee Si-hoon presented 'menstruation respect education' to male students by explaining menstruation and how to be considerate of their friends who experience menstruation. Female students expressed a fear of menstruation that they had never experienced before. Jeong Han-sol provided 'practical menstruation education' to female students so that they would not panic when they suddenly started menstruating. Jang Yun-jeong said, "They say menstruation starts as early as the lower grades of elementary school. It's not easy for young children to dispose of sanitary pads, so I heard that mothers sometimes wait in the hallways." Jeong Han-sol once again emphasized the importance of the role of parents, saying, "If we tell them why menstruation occurs and the physical changes that occur, introduce various sanitary products, and get close to them, we can lower children's fears."

In particular, on this day's 'Magic Castle', 'education to respect skinship boundaries' was prepared. As children these days use cameras as play, there is a risk that they encounter sex through content first and think of sex as play. Jeong Han-sol explained, "Entertainment programs sometimes throw in humor related to sex. It's okay when there is appropriate respect and consideration, but we need to let people know that sexual comments and play without respect and boundaries can lead to violence."

'Umpaz' poured out stories of pranks from the past that can now be considered crimes, such as 'ice skating', 'running away with underwear on', and 'spitting'. Even among children these days, physical play exists, such as hitting the buttocks and running away, or putting a foot between the legs. Jeong Han-sol advised, “You shouldn’t play pranks that other people don’t like, and respect is important when dealing with each other’s bodies.” Lee Si-hoon emphasized that an appropriate line must be maintained, saying, "The moment you cross the line while playing around with each other, it can be considered sexual harassment. Also, if there is coercion such as assault or threats in relation to sex, it can be sexual harassment." In order to accurately understand this, the children had time to set their own standards for skinship by attaching different colored stickers to ‘parts that can be touched’ and ‘parts that should not be touched’. The children identified different physical boundaries and felt the need to respect each other's boundaries.

‘Please Stay Safe’, which examines legal punishment and response to actual incidents, dealt with the ‘group chat room sexual harassment’ incident. In a group chat room comprised only of male students at a university, conversations continued to describe or ridicule women's genitals, such as 'I want to sleep with a hole in a condom', 'I want to rape', and 'I have small breasts'. A month later, a 'rating table' was posted that quantified the sexual desires of female students by evaluating their appearance and body. Attorney Shin Jung-kwon said, “I have seen a similar case, and it became a problem (at the company) because the female employees were graded on their appearance.” Everyone was surprised by the group chat room members who did not hesitate to say unimaginable things, and Kim Mi-ryeo became angry and said, "They are trash."

Lee Si-hoon said, “Friends who use a certain community a lot use this kind of harassing language as if it were competition,” and said that it is a situation that requires awareness as a crime. Kim Mi-ryeo said, "I feel that as a parent, I have a lot of homework to do. I think the most important thing at home is sex education," and emphasized that our children must receive sex education so that they do not become either perpetrators or victims.

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr