SBS has deleted a controversial short-form video promoting drama Would You Marry Me following intense online backlash. The controversy began with a scene criticized for depicting a male character “forgiving on behalf of” a female victim of illegal filming.
The scene, from the October 25th episode, showed doctor Yoon Jin Kyung (played by Shin Seul Ki) becoming the victim of illegal filming while performing CPR on a patient in a park. Another character, Baek Sang Hyun (Bae Nara), noticed the situation, covered her with his coat, took over CPR and then confronted the perpetrator.
After warning the man about the severe legal penalties for illegal filming (up to 7 years in prison and a 50 million won fine), he deleted the photos from the man’s phone and let him go, saying, “I’ll let you off this time because it seems like your first offense, but next time there will be no mercy.”
SBS created a short video of the scene and shared it online. However, the clip quickly drew criticism from viewers. Many blasted the scenario where the male character took it upon himself to forgive the perpetrator on behalf of the female victim.
Negative comments flooded online communities: “How does he know if it’s his first time?”, “If you see someone filming illegally, you should report them to the police, why just let him go?”, “I can’t believe they tried to spin this scene as ‘cool.’ That’s messed up.”
Following the widespread backlash, SBS quietly deleted the promotional short video but has not issued an official statement on the matter.
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