A scene in which the female lead of a weekend broadcast on a terrestrial network tells a male character, "I'm going to sexually harass you," has sparked heated debate online.
In Episode 10 of the KBS2 drama 'A Love Other than Yours,' aired on Sunday, lawyer Han Tae-seung (played by Lee Ju-an) was shown in a verbal altercation with a colleague.
In the drama, the colleague lawyer criticized Han, saying, "Ruining your dignity as a lawyer is one thing, but stop surviving on drinking parties and lobbying. Honestly, I'm ashamed to be called a lawyer in the same field as you."
Han retorted that since his parents were not judges or prosecutors, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and do everything to avoid losing cases, but the colleague continued with insulting remarks.
As Han, enraged, tried to rush at the other person, Lee Mi-do (played by Ahn Eun-jin) intervened and stood between the two.
Lee then shouted at the colleague lawyer, "In one minute, I'm going to sexually harass you. If you don't leave immediately, no matter what happens, I will strip your pants off and humiliate you."
She continued, "If you keep gritting your teeth and attacking me, stripping you down to your underwear is a piece of cake. I'm serious, I'm strong. 20 seconds left," and drove the colleague lawyer out.
Immediately after the broadcast, criticism emerged online that it was inappropriate for the female lead to attempt to resolve conflicts through threats of forced undressing and sexual harassment.
Some viewers said, "I can't believe a female writer wrote such lines" and "I don't understand the supporting male character who seems to be smitten by such lines," expressing difficulty in empathizing with the dialogue from any perspective.
In particular, harsh voices were raised questioning whether the level of dialogue was appropriate for a drama aired on KBS, a public broadcaster.
On the other hand, opinions also emerged that the scene should be understood not as an attempt to justify actual sexual harassment, but as an extreme counter-response expression intended to stop the other party's aggressive remarks.
'A Love Other than Yours,' starring Seo Kang-joon and Ahn Eun-jin, has only four episodes left until its finale, but it continues its downward trend, setting a new all-time low with a viewership rating of 1.8% (based on Nielsen Korea nationwide households) for the Episode 10 broadcast on the 18th.
in ENTERTAINMENT
