Controversial 'Under Fifteen' Audition Show Pulled from MBN Schedule Amid Child Exploitation Concerns

The controversial audition program 'Under Fifteen', which faced backlash over child exploitation concerns, has been pulled from MBN's schedule.

On the 28th, the production team of 'Under Fifteen' announced, "After deep consideration and discussions, we have decided to cancel the broadcast scheduled for March 31st to protect the participants and reorganize the show." They added, "As a result, MBN will not be airing it." The team also stated, "We will ensure that the essence of the program and the sincerity of the participants are not compromised. Thank you for your interest."

'Under Fifteen' is a K-pop audition program targeting participants under the age of 15, produced by Crea Studio under the direction of PD Seo Hye-jin. It was initially set to air on MBN on March 31st.

The promotional materials for 'Under Fifteen' included images of young participants wearing heavy makeup and crop tops, posing for the camera. Next to the names of participants performing intense dance routines were their ages, such as '15', '11', and '8', sparking controversy. Both domestic and international netizens criticized the show for gathering underage students to compete for a girl group debut and exposing them to media evaluation.

In response, an urgent press conference was held on the 25th at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Seoul. Seo Hye-jin, the head of Crea Studio, stated, "Two weeks ago, we sent the complete version to the review, planning, and scheduling teams, as well as the Broadcasting and Communications Review Committee (BCRC), and it was reviewed without any issues." She added, "We intended to dispel the controversy with the edited version."

However, the BCRC later clarified, "We did not receive the complete program prior to the broadcast of 'Under Fifteen'. The claim that we reviewed it and provided feedback on potential violations of review regulations is not true." They further stated, "We have expressed strong objections to Crea Studio for making false claims in public."

Reported by Kim Ji-won, TenAsia bella@tenasia.co.kr