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'This is sick': Under 15 K-pop audition show bashed amid Kim Soo Hyun's alleged relationship with 15-year-old Kim Sae Ron
Netizens slam MBN’s Under 15 female K-pop audition amid backlash over Kim Soo Hyun’s alleged past relationship with Kim Sae Ron (15), sparking debate on industry ethics and child exploitation.
Two significant controversies are currently plaguing the South Korean entertainment industry: one concerns the supposed uncomfortable relationship between actors Kim Soo Hyun and 15-year-old Kim Sae Ron, and the other is related to MBN's new K-pop audition program, Under 15, which has raised allegations of child exploitation.
Netizens are horrified and incensed by MBN's new Under 15 K-pop audition program. Under 15 is an audition show for female competitors under the age of 15, as the name of the program implies.
Young ladies from different countries, ranging in age from 8 to 15, will vie for the opportunity to make their debut as the next generation of K-pop stars, representing Gen Alpha.
Under 15 presented its 59 competitors, disclosing their names, ages, countries, and roles in the performance. One of them is Kim Seol, a child actor who was born in 2011 and is well-known for playing Jinju in Reply 1988.
In defense of the program, the production crew said, "These young girls are so strong-willed and firm in their conviction that they will completely shatter the prejudices and concerns of adults who say that they are too young to debut."
Some contestants were born in 2016, making them as young as seven or eight years old. Fans argue that it is harmful to have children make their debuts in such a rigorous sport.
This has fueled public outrage, with critics taking to social media to voice their concerns, calling the show a "child abuse program" and questioning why elementary and middle school pupils aren't showing up for class.
Others have criticized the program for giving kids clothes that emphasize their sex appeal and demanded that the show's producers and parents be held accountable for child abuse.
On the other hand, concerns about their 13-year age difference have been raised by recent allegations that Kim Soo Hyun, 36, and Kim Sae Ron, who died earlier this year at the age of 24, were involved in a relationship that allegedly started in 2015 when she was just 15 and he was 27.
The public is debating these claims, which were purportedly made by Kim Sae Ron's relatives. GOLDMEDALIST, Kim Soo Hyun's agency, has refuted the allegations.
The Under 15 controversy and the alleged Kim Soo Hyun–Kim Sae Ron relationship both draw attention to more serious problems in South Korea's entertainment sector, such as how young stars are treated and how children are not protected.
Kim Soo Hyun's GOLDMEDALIST: Know all about Kim Sae Ron's ex-agency and its A-list lineup, including Seo Ye Ji
