Controversial 'UNDER15' pleads for broadcast despite child sexualization claims

By Park Jin-hai

The upcoming girl group audition show "Under15" has sparked a massive controversy following allegations that it sexualizes minors, prompting the production team to hold a press briefing Tuesday to address concerns and urge the network MBN to proceed with the scheduled broadcast.

The program was initially introduced as an ambitious global search "to discover K-pop prodigies under the age of 15," featuring 59 girls selected from over 70 countries. However, shortly after the promotional content featuring young contestants wearing heavy makeup and crop tops was released, criticism exploded both domestically and internationally.

The controversy intensified further following recent allegations regarding actor Kim Soo-hyun and late actor Kim Sae-ron's past relationship when Kim Sae-ron was still a minor, raising public sensitivities about minors' exposure in media.

"We sincerely apologize and deeply regret causing concern through various controversies and allegations. We have been caught up in unforeseen controversies and misunderstandings have grown to be seen as facts, escalating the situation further," Hwang In-young, co-CEO of the show's production company Crea Studo, said during the press briefing at Standford Hotel Seoul in Mapo District.

"Not only Crea Studio, but also many participants, performers, trainers and crew members involved in this project are experiencing damage to their reputation."

The previously released teaser drew criticism for featuring young contestants, some as young as 8, posing for the camera in makeup and outfits deemed inappropriate for their age. Their names were accompanied prominently by their ages, including "15," "11" and "8."

Controversy intensified further due to profile images displaying barcode designs, which were widely interpreted as suggesting sexual commodification of children. Following the backlash, the teaser and promotional images in question were removed from the program's official social media channels.

Addressing the contentious barcode visuals, Crea Studio co-CEO Seo Hye-jin explained they were never meant to objectify participants, clarifying that they were intended for a "student ID concept" by a female designer in her 30s.

"I would like to clarify that there was a huge misunderstanding," she said, unveiling KakaoTalk messages exchanged with the designer. In the messages, the designer shows an image of a typical student ID card.

"The designer is a female in her 30s. We thought of this (audition show) set as a school. We thought they were here to receive training from good teachers. The concept (for the content) was a student ID. It's an image that comes up immediately when you search on Google. Modern student ID cards include barcodes and birthdates, but we couldn't include birthdates. So, we only included ages instead," she further explained.

Regarding the age limit of under 15, Hwang mentioned her experience of directing the program "K-pop Star" in the early 2010s, where teenage contestants swept the top prizes, surprising the older generation.

"There were instances where young trainees were left behind due to institutional barriers simply because of their young age, so we wanted to open up an unexplored field through the audition format," Hwang explained.

The survival audition show was originally scheduled to premiere on March 31, but MBN said last week it would reconsider whether to air the program in light of the grooming allegations. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the broadcast, the production team revealed that filming is ongoing. The final decision regarding the airing and its timing has not yet been made.

Producer of the show Yong Suk-in, also present at the briefing, emphasized the emotional stakes for the young contestants.

"The children aren't even considering the possibility of the broadcast being canceled. They are still practicing hard and doing their best. They are very much looking forward to the broadcast. That's their sincere feeling. As the production team, we are saddened by the great pain caused by the distortion," Yong said.

"Canceling the broadcast would be devastating. The pain felt by these young contestants and their families would be beyond imagination. We are doing our best to showcase their sincere efforts and hard work to the world in its entirety."