"There are not few voices saying, 'Drinking broadcasts, what was going to explode has exploded.'" TV and YouTube were at one point said to have been consumed by 'alcohol.' From 2023, so-called 'drinking room' content poured out centered on web variety shows, and even terrestrial variety shows naturally put drinking scenes front and center, sowing seeds of controversy. And that warning ultimately became reality.
#. Oct. 2023 "TV and YouTube were consumed by alcohol"
As early as Oct. 2023, the media and experts sounded warnings. Even then, content centered on web variety shows in which people had conversations with alcohol in front of them was explosively popular.
Variety shows that centered on alcohol, such as MBC I Live Alone, Shin Dong-yup's Zzanbro, Kian84's 'sulterview', Cho Hyun's 'Thursday night', and Lee Young-ji's 'I have nothing prepared but', received the public's choice by exceeding 1 million views.
The problem was that it began to be packaged not merely as exposure to drinking but as 'honesty' and 'a new charm' even when stars were so drunk they could not control their bodies.
In fact, Sunmi, who appeared on Zzanbro, staggered and even nodded off after repeatedly drinking beer, soju and bomb shots under the pretext of a drinking capacity test, and Ha Ji-won was broadcast dancing in a drunken state. At the scene, laughter broke out more than concern, and there were even reactions such as "that made good footage."
At the same time, as statistics on drunk-driving accidents and celebrity drinking incidents were reported in succession, the question "Are these scenes really harmless?" was raised in earnest.
#. Nov. 2024, the communications regulator's 'warning' at last
The warning became reality. In Nov. 2024, the Korea Communications Standards Commission voted to issue a statutory sanction of 'warning' against MBC I Live Alone.
The commission judged that although the program was rated for viewers 15 and older, it repeatedly broadcast the cast's drinking scenes and glamorized drinking with captions such as 'the neat taste of canned soju,' 'a throat‑striking refreshment,' and 'tastes even better after exercising.'
Particularly cited problematic scenes included an instance in which Park Na-rae drank soju at a 'labor drink' house where she stuck a soju shot glass into a bokbunja cup with a 'canned soju' caption, the draft beer scenes at a street stall with Lee Jang-woo and Kim Dae-ho and the glamorizing captions. Watching this, Kian84's remark "people live to eat that" also became problematic, and the commission ultimately decided on the statutory sanction of 'warning' for I Live Alone. This became a heavy punishment that counts as a point deduction when renewing or reapproving a broadcaster's license.
At the time, netizen reactions were unanimous. They pointed out the repeated problems with comments such as "what was going to explode has exploded," "are they only sanctioning now?" and "there were too many alcohol variety shows."
#. 2025, apology after drunken live broadcast…persistent unease
Even so, it was hard to say the atmosphere had completely changed. In Apr. 2025, Jun Hyun-moo publicly apologized, mentioning the controversy over an inebriated SNS live broadcast. During an alcohol live broadcast with BoA he mentioned Park Na-rae, and when inappropriate expressions became controversial, the two released an apology statement.
Afterwards on KBS2 Boss, You Have Donkey Ears, Jun Hyun-moo said, "I will not act rashly and will become a broadcaster loved for a long time," and Park Myung-soo jokingly shot back, "Don't do live broadcasts."
They laughed it off, but it was clear that drinking broadcasts were still recognized as a problem.
#. Park Na-rae's exit…"the warning lights that had already been on"
And this year's decisive turning point was Park Na-rae. She continuously ran alcohol‑centered content, including the web variety show 'Narae‑sik', and was at the center of drinking scenes on I Live Alone. Later revelations by a manager and various controversies were also reported to include many incidents that occurred at drinking gatherings, leading to analyses that drinking issues were among the background factors of the affair.
In the end Park Na-rae left major variety shows entirely. The new variety show 'Na Do Shin Na' was also canceled. It effectively ended in a suspension of activities.
Experts and viewers agree. "It's not an individual's lapse but a problem of the entire broadcasting environment that has consumed alcohol as a source of humor," they say. The suspension of comedian Park Na-rae's activities is seen as bringing the structural problem of glamorizing drinking broadcasts, which had permeated the entertainment industry, back to the surface beyond a simple personal controversy.
The commission's sanctions proceed in order from 'no problem' → 'expressed opinion' → 'recommendation' → 'warning' → 'admonition' → suspension·penalty surcharge. The heavy sanction of 'warning' had already been triggered. Even so, talk shows centered on alcohol remain popular content on YouTube and web variety shows.
This shows that Park Na-rae's exit could be a signal, not the end. This incident left the task that fundamental reflection is needed on the drinking culture deeply rooted across the entertainment industry and broadcasting world beyond the fall of one entertainer. It raises the question of whether the problem that runs across the entertainment industry can really change this time. <
[Photo] broadcast screen, OSEN DB
[OSEN]