SBS's "Running Man," which sparked a sexual harassment controversy over a scene in which actress Ahn Eun-jin was asked to give a kiss, received a "no problem" ruling from the broadcast review committee.
According to the minutes of the 26th Broadcast Review Subcommittee meeting released by the Broadcasting Media and Communications Review Committee (BMCRC) on the 30th, the subcommittee reviewed certain scenes from the SBS variety show "Running Man" that aired on November 23 last year and voted "no problem" on the 13th.
On the broadcast in question, actors Ahn Eun-jin and Kim Mu-joon, who appeared in the SBS drama "Kisses Don't Just Happen," participated as guests and played games with the members. The format involved a blindfolded participant guessing who had kissed them.
Yang Se-chan took on the role of receiving the kiss, while Ahn Eun-jin was selected to be the one giving it. Before the game, Ahn Eun-jin showed signs of discomfort, saying, "Wasn't there no explicit statement that I actually had to do it?" but ultimately kissed Yang Se-chan's wrist.
When Haha joked, "You should probably let him have another one, right?" Yang Se-chan also stuck his face out, jokingly asking for an additional kiss. Ahn Eun-jin waved her hand dismissively and showed a reaction of discomfort, while laughter broke out among the participants. Subsequently, scenes followed in which participants took turns kissing each other as part of Yang Se-chan's process of guessing who had kissed him.
After the broadcast, some pointed out that it was inappropriate for scenes demanding physical contact with specific participants to continue appearing during the Sunday afternoon time slot when families watch together, and that such scenes could constitute sexual harassment, leading to related complaints being filed.
During the review, Commissioner Hong Mi-ae stated, "The scene in which a female participant is asked to give a kiss inevitably led to a sexual harassment controversy," adding, "It was inappropriate that her reaction of being flustered or hesitant was used as a source of humor."
On the other hand, Chairwoman Kim Min-jong said, "While it seems there may have been some potential for discomfort given that physical contact was used as game material, it is difficult to view this as a forced situation since the participants were aware of the game's content and format and participated voluntarily. The level of physical contact was light, at the level of a simple kiss, so it does not appear to be sexual speech or sexual physical contact."
As a result of the meeting, Commissioner Hong Mi-ae proposed "presentation of opinion," which is an administrative guidance measure. Four members—Chairwoman Kim Min-jong and Commissioners Jo Seung-ho, Kim Il-gon, and Kim Woo-seok—voted for "no problem." The Broadcast Review Subcommittee ultimately voted "no problem" regarding the broadcast in question, following the majority opinion.
in ENTERTAINMENT
