The audition program 'Underfifteen,' which was embroiled in controversy over child sexual exploitation even before airing, has ultimately been canceled by MBN.
Production company Crea Studio said on the 28th, "After deep consideration and meetings, we have decided that canceling the scheduled broadcast on March 31 and ensuring the protection of participants and reorganization is the best course of action," adding, "Therefore, MBN will not air it." They continued, "We will produce in such a way that the essence of the program and the sincerity of the participants are not compromised."
MBN confirmed, "We have verified the stance of production company Crea Studio regarding the cancellation of 'Underfifteen,'" stating, "Regardless of this broadcast cancellation, MBN will continue its cooperative relationship with Crea Studio."
MBN and Crea Studio previously collaborated on 'King of Singers' and 'Hanil Top Ten Show.'
'Underfifteen' was introduced as the world's first generational shift audition program to discover K-pop talents aged 15 and under. However, the teaser video released earlier included scenes of teenage participants performing in revealing outfits. This controversy intensified as profile designs showcasing barcodes were posted on social networking services (SNS). Netizens raised concerns over the sexual exploitation of children.
As the controversy continued, MBN stated on the 21st, "We take the concerns of various sectors of our society regarding the new program 'Underfifteen' very seriously," adding, "MBN will comprehensively review not only the program's details but also its airing status."
Subsequently, on the 25th, production company representative Seo Hye-jin, co-representative Hwang In-young, and director Yong Seok-in held an emergency production briefing at Stanford Hotel Seoul in Mapo-gu and rebutted, "It is absolutely not sexual exploitation," asserting that there are no issues with the broadcast content.