[theqoo] BAR CODE IN PROFILE PICTURES, PRODUCERS EXPLAIN THE EXPOSURE ON YOUNG PARTICIPANTS OF UNDER 15

"We thought this was a school. It was a school where those friends could develop their dreams and hopes, and we thought we were in a place where we could meet good teachers and receive training," and explained, "It's a student ID concept that comes up right away when you Google it. These days, student IDs have a barcode and date of birth, but we couldn't put in the date of birth because it's personal information."

She added, "Most people don't think that these days' student IDs look like this. I was really upset about the part where they turned this barcode into something s****l. It's a very creative thumbnail. I was shocked to see s****l comments made about a 9-year-old girl," she said.

The teaser profiles of the participants, showing individual images, also shocked netizens. One participant, who was singing a children’s song in a white T-shirt, was suddenly shown on screen after a transition, wearing a crop top and other revealing outfits, dancing like an adult. Although the videos have now been set to private, related posts spread widely through online communities, and the production team faced heavy criticism.

In response, CEO Hwang In-young explained, "We thought it was cool. We wanted to show the participants' talents in a great way and give them a chance to show their 'reverse charm' in line with their desire to shine." She continued, "Teaser videos, unlike the actual broadcast, are consumed as images, and there was a possibility that our intention could be misunderstood as an 'adult mimicry s**y concept,' which we didn’t mean at all. That’s why we quickly deleted it, and I want to clarify that we didn’t think, 'Let’s go in this direction.'"

[...]

Representatives Seo Hye-jin and Hwang In-young were both seen shedding tears. On that day, in response to a question about the participants’ reactions to the current controversy, Hwang In-young said, "Both our participants and their guardians, as well as the production team, initially reacted by saying, 'Why are they saying this about a program that isn't like that?'" and burst into tears.

Taking the microphone, Director Yong Seok-in said, "The children don't even think that the program might not air. They are giving their best at every moment, and they're still doing their best at this moment. They are doing their best because they want to be recognized for what they have learned through this." She added, "As the production team, it’s heartbreaking, and it should never happen that the program doesn't air," and continued, "The kind of harm this could cause to the children and their parents is unimaginable."

Representative Seo Hye-jin also shed tears toward the end of the briefing, saying, "Did the production team create s****l exp****tion content? No, I don't think so," and appealed for a more compassionate view of the program.

original post: here

1. Red background + black revealing outfits + bar code = not objectifying?

2. Enough, just cancel this thing f*ck

3. That's not a student ID concept already ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

4. 9 y'o?????????

5. Then do a real student ID concept

6. Just from the clothes, what is this?

7. Why are they like that... Are they not ashamed?

8. Which student ID is like that? Where do I need to look to find those IDs?

9. They can't air this, please protect the kids

10. Then why not make them wear school uniforms? What student ID?

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