'The Taste of Wife' Minor Sexual Harassment Controversy, Is This Okay? [Kim Gayeon's Perspective Twist]

"Have You Hit Puberty?" Controversy Over Sexual Harassment of Jeong Dong-won on 'Taste of Wife'... Viewers Flood with Complaints
Production Team: "Medical Approach to Puberty... Will Be Careful"
Experts: "Media Influences Viewer Desensitization to Violence... Need for Caution"

On the 25th, on TV Chosun's "The Taste of Wife Nowhere in the World," "Mr. Trot" singers Jung Dong-won (13) and Lim Do-hyung (11) visited an otolaryngology clinic to undergo a voice change examination. Photo by TV Chosun, screenshot from "The Taste of Wife Nowhere in the World."

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] TV Chosun's entertainment program 'The Taste of Wife Like No Other in the World' (The Taste of Wife) sparked a sexual harassment controversy after broadcasting scenes where minor cast members were asked about their secondary sexual characteristics and inappropriate subtitles were added. Viewers criticized the program, saying that since the cast members are minors and the show is very popular, the production team should have been more cautious in directing.

In the episode aired on the 25th, singers Jung Dong-won (13) and Lim Do-hyung (11), both former contestants of the popular 'Mr. Trot,' visited an otolaryngologist to undergo voice change examinations. The controversy arose from a scene where the doctor asked Jung Dong-won, "Have you reached secondary sexual characteristics?" and "Do you have hair on your XX?"

Jung Dong-won responded with surprise, saying "Yes?" but answered, "A little around the underwear line." Broadcasters Lee Hwi-jae, Park Myung-soo, and other panelists watching the scene in the studio also appeared embarrassed.

After the broadcast, viewers continued to criticize the scene as clear sexual harassment.

The issue lies in the fact that both cast members are minors. Lim Do-hyung was born in 2009 and is 11 years old this year, while Jung Dong-won was born in 2007 and has just entered middle school. There was a flood of criticism that minors were publicly sexually harassed on a nationally broadcast program.

Despite the program being rated suitable for viewers aged 15 and older and ranking first in viewership among entertainment programs airing at the same time, it was broadcast without any awareness of the problem. Even if the questions were medically necessary during the examination, airing them was deemed inappropriate.

In particular, there were claims that the production team added humorous subtitles such as a chili pepper image and "Equipped with adult charm" to ridicule the scene.

Viewers voiced strong criticism, saying, "Stop making excuses and apologize," "Broadcasting shame to teenagers is very malicious," "Deleting it doesn't erase what has already aired," and "This is not something that can be resolved with an apology or explanation. Publicly sexually harassing minors is unacceptable." Some even called for the program's cancellation.

As the controversy spread, the production team deleted the video from Naver TV and other platforms and explained that the intention was to approach secondary sexual characteristics from a medical perspective. However, viewers continued to protest through complaints to the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), the broadcaster's website, and comments on portal sites, calling it an excuse rather than an explanation.

According to multiple media outlets, about 200 complaints have been filed regarding this sexual harassment controversy. The KCSC plans to conduct a review accordingly.

On the 25th, on TV Chosun's "The Taste of a Wife Like No Other in the World," broadcasters Lee Hwijae and Park Myungsoo showed signs of embarrassment. Photo by TV Chosun, screenshot from "The Taste of a Wife Like No Other in the World."

The production team of 'The Taste of Wife' issued an official statement on the 26th in response to the sexual harassment controversy.

The team stated, "We would like to share our position regarding the broadcast of questions related to secondary sexual characteristics during the voice change examination of Jung Dong-won and Lim Do-hyung." They explained, "At the time of recording, the attending physician said that medically, voice change is one of the signs of secondary sexual characteristics, so related questions are basic inquiries to gauge the voice change."

They added, "Since voice change is an important aspect for Jung Dong-won and Lim Do-hyung, who are growing as singers, the production team intended to approach secondary sexual characteristics from a medical perspective with sincerity. We were mindful that this could be a sensitive topic for the cast members and will be more cautious in the production process going forward."

They also said, "We will do our best to create higher quality content."

Experts emphasized the need for caution, warning that if issues like sexual harassment are treated lightly in mass media accessible to many people, there is a risk of desensitization to such problems.

Professor Kwak Geum-joo of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the 27th, "When exposed to stimuli such as incidents or situations, people may initially feel strongly, but repeated exposure to similar situations leads to desensitization. The same applies to violence, where the impact requires increasingly severe levels to be felt."

Professor Kwak added, "If people continuously encounter such issues through media or social networks, they may come to perceive them as nothing significant. Children and adolescents exposed to such videos or situations learn from them and become desensitized more quickly. Therefore, I believe this is a serious problem."