K-POP Audition Show ‘Under15’ Canceled Just Before Broadcast...Over Allegations of Sexual Exploitation of Minors

South Korea’s K-POP audition program ‘Under15’ was canceled right before it was set to air amid allegations of sexual exploitation of minors. Crea Studio issued a statement on March 28 stating, “After careful consideration, we have decided to focus on protecting participants and restructuring the program.” The company added, “We will make every effort to produce content that accurately reflects the participants’ dedication without compromising the essence of the show.” It appears the production team rushed to halt the project after strong backlash arose shortly after MBN aired the first trailer for the new series. Marketed as a “K-POP genius discovery initiative,” the program followed 59 girls under the age of 15 competing to become the next generation of stars in the industry. Chu Yoon Oh, a dance theory professor at San Diego State University and author of *K-Pop Dance*, noted, “While nurturing young artists in the entertainment industry is nothing new, one reason this program sparked controversy is that it explicitly used the girls’ ages as part of its marketing strategy, as suggested by its title.” Oh explained, “Many viewers on TV and online, especially parents and teachers, opposed the program. The main concern was that despite being minors, the participants performed K-POP girl group choreography, resulting in overly mature dances, movements, costumes, and expressions.” K-POP has previously faced criticism for its lyrics, movements, or excessively explicit performances. For example, BTS member Jennie was effectively banned from performing in South Korea due to her bold appearance on HBO’s series *The Idol*, while DimePiece’s singer CU was exposed excessively during a live performance in 2017 due to an outfit malfunction. Some conservative groups in South Korea deemed the sexual exploitation aspect of ‘Under15’ to be excessive, with particular controversy surrounding the use of barcode designs to highlight the girls’ ages on promotional posters. Critics argued this reduced the girls to mere commodities. David Tizard, an assistant professor of education at Seoul Women’s University and a social columnist for a South Korean daily, said, “Not only is there the issue of the girls’ sexuality being promoted, but the idea that they are packaged and sold as products also creates problems. It’s less of an issue when adults are packaged this way, but it becomes a problem because they are young.”