UNDER15, an upcoming idol audition show seeking to form a girl group entirely made up of contestants under 15, is under fire for what many are calling blatant child exploitation—even before its first episode airs.
The backlash began when teaser images and profile clips revealed contestants—born between 2009 and 2016—wearing full makeup, crop tops, and performing stylized, adult-like dance routines. What shocked viewers even more was the use of barcode graphics over the contestants’ images—an unsettling visual that many saw as treating children like literal products.
Though the teasers have since been taken down, the damage is done, with screenshots and clips circulating across online platforms. The outrage comes at a time when public sensitivity around the treatment of minors is already at a boiling point—especially following explosive reports that the late Kim Sae Ron had allegedly begun dating actor Kim Soo Hyun while still underage, sparking national uproar. UNDER15 is being slammed as “harmful and tone-deaf,” with viewers calling it a dangerous glamorization of minors.
In an attempt to control the fallout, production company CReA Studio held a rushed press conference yesterday, claiming the full show had already passed pre-screening by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC).
But that claim quickly unraveled. The KCSC issued a public statement denying it had ever reviewed the show, calling the production team’s remarks “factually inaccurate,” adding, “We have formally lodged a protest with CReA Studio for making such inaccurate statements in a public setting.”
UNDER15 was originally slated to premiere on March 31st. Now, amid mounting pressure and widespread public concern, that broadcast is reportedly under full review.
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