The fallout from controversial survival show UNDER15 has escalated into a legal battle.
Seo Hye Jin, CEO of CReA Studio and producer of the shelved idol survival show, is now being sued by contestants after she allegedly sought to push the show into Southeast Asian markets.
On September 15th, two teen finalists, identified as A and B, filed for an injunction at the Seoul Western District Court to suspend their exclusive contracts with CReA Entertainment. Both had been selected for the debut lineup and signed contracts last fall, with exclusive deals finalized earlier this year. But when UNDER15 was canceled amid accusations of sexualizing minors, their relationship with Seo began to unravel.
Originally set to air on MBN in March, the series was canceled days before its premiere after mounting backlash and demands from civic groups. A rebranded version, Star Is Born – Girls Chasing Dreams, was later pitched to Japan but also failed to secure a slot.
According to the injunction filing, A and B told Suh they wanted to withdraw once the broadcast was blocked, but instead she allegedly pressured and criticized them, even urging continued group housing. The filing claims Suh deflected responsibility and grew furious at their withdrawal request, and warned, “I won’t let you go so easily,” in what the teens argue was an attempt to hold them to an unfair contract.
Seo reportedly floated plans to broadcast the show in Thailand and other Southeast Asian markets. The contestants are arguing that the overseas pivot represented a fundamental betrayal of the original promise—a K-pop debut in Korea—and instead risked disrupting the minors’ education while shifting financial losses onto them.
A and B’s attorney Noh Jong Eon cited the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, stressing that the production prioritized commercial gain over the well-being of its underage participants: “‘UNDER15’ placed commercial gain over child welfare, commodifying underage participants and subjecting them to an environment of emotional abuse while abandoning its duty of protection.”
>> W‘UNDER15’ Faces Fury Over Child Exploitation and Lying About Broadcast Approval
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