The grooming crime glorification and child sexual objectification controversy led to the decision to halt the drama adaptation of 'I Love Elementary School Students.'
On the 4th, the production company Meta New Line announced on its website, "Meta New Line has seriously taken into account the various concerns raised socially and decided to halt the planning and production of the drama based on the webtoon 'I Love Elementary School Students.'"
It also expressed sincere apologies to the author for the new burden placed on the original work, which was created in 2015.
The production company said, "We will humbly accept the changing social sensitivities and flows, and we will do our best to create healthy and meaningful content with a more cautious and responsible attitude through this opportunity."
'I Love Elementary School Students,' based on the webtoon of the same name, tells the story of elementary school teacher Lim Cheong-a, who develops a crush on a male character named 'Go-su' she meets through an online game after breaking up with her boyfriend, only to later discover that he is actually her elementary school student Im Dang-su. However, when the news of the drama adaptation broke, various educational organizations protested, saying it glorified grooming crimes and calling for the cessation of attempts to sexualize children.
On the 1st, the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA) issued an official statement, saying, "Teachers should build trust with students and must have high moral standards and professionalism in education," adding, "The narrative that abuses this position to share private feelings with underage students is not romance or creation but the glorification of crime."
It also added, "If this work is aired, it could obscure the seriousness of grooming crimes occurring in reality and make it consumable lightly, and the child actors who would have to act in it would inevitably suffer psychological and emotional harm. Exposing children to danger for commercial profit is another form of violence."
On the 2nd, the National Teachers’ Union (Jeongyojo) Elementary Committee strongly criticized the drama production of 'I Love Elementary School Students' through a statement titled, "Immediately halt the drama production of 'I Love Elementary School Students,'" saying, "Elementary school teachers across the country are engulfed in shock and anger."
The Jeongyojo side criticized 'I Love Elementary School Students,' saying, "It is content that undermines the ethics between teachers and students and the principles of child protection," and urged, "Immediately halt production." Particularly, Jeongyojo pointed out, "Scenes like 'excitement', 'emotional upheaval', and 'comfort' between adult teachers and elementary school students could easily be misinterpreted or romanticized as feelings of love," stating that it conveys a message that directly violates educational ethics to society as a whole.
Recognizing the backlash from the education community and public criticism, the production company ultimately decided to halt the drama production after a week.
[Photo] Source of the original webtoon
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