'Under15' production team chose to confront the controversy of sexual commercialization of minors.

On the afternoon of the 25th, an emergency production briefing for MBN's new entertainment program 'Under15' took place at the Grand Ballroom of Stanford Hotel in Sangam, Mapo District, Seoul. The briefing was attended by Seo Hye-jin, the representative of CREA Studio, and Producer Yong Seok-in, who presented some actual broadcast segments of 'Under15' and addressed questions related to the program.

Before the Q&A session, Hwang In-young, co-representative of CREA Studio, stated, "There are various controversies and suspicions raised regarding 'Under15.' We sincerely apologize and regret any concerns we have caused. While there are moments in production that bring praise and a sense of fulfillment, we sometimes find ourselves caught up in unforeseen controversies, recognizing aspects we hadn't thought of during the process. However, this time, the unexpected suspicions have been greatly exacerbated to a point that they seem factual."

He mentioned, "Not only the production company CREA, but also the participants who worked on the project and the first-class master trainers who helped us are severely wounded in their honor. I have thought a lot about how to end this controversy. I decided to do my utmost, and though this is unusual, we arranged this gathering to urgently clarify aspects that differ from our understanding of the situation today."

"Having been in broadcasting for 25 years, I have learned that people who produce shows should be evaluated by content rather than words. Once again, I wanted to seek judgment through content, and I wanted to protect everyone involved during this process. This gathering was held because I wanted to honor their promises. We will be showing the broadcast video we prepared, and afterward, we will have a Q&A session to address points you might be curious about."

Seo Hye-jin, the representative who planned 'Under15,' and Producer Yong Seok-in, who directed the show, emphasized, "After watching our video, we will have a Q&A session together, and we will respond to your questions as sincerely as possible."

Meanwhile, 'Under15' is a K-POP star discovery project for those under 15 years old, set to premiere on the 31st at 9:10 p.m. However, ahead of its first broadcast, controversies arose over the sexy concept teaser and profile, resulting in allegations of sexual commercialization of minors. The 'Under15' team responded officially, stating, "All participants in 'Under15' are valuable individuals who voluntarily applied for the program with their consent and the agreement of their guardians. The production team has strictly adhered to recording procedures to protect minor participants during filming."

He added, "At this point, before the first broadcast has been aired, it is a very upsetting and regrettable situation as various controversies have arisen, causing extreme shock and injury to the young participants and their guardians involved with 'Under15.' Since this program supports the dreams of the participants, we earnestly hope that the sweat and efforts they have poured over the last six months won't be in vain, and we will put more careful effort into production to avoid any further controversies."

[Photo] CREA Studio

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