Despite its premiere on May 11th, tvN’s drama “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”was met with a barrage of negative reactions. One particular scene in the first episode, where star instructor Seo Hye-jin (Jung Ryeo-won) personally visits a high school and demands a retest, sparked controversy. Seo Hye-jin boldly points out, “I am aware of the reason behind these questions. They are outdated and no longer relevant to the CSAT.”As a result, the school agrees to allow the student to retake the exam.
The union of secondary school teachers responded by expressing their regrets. They emphasized that the content could negatively affect the morale of teachers, who have the important responsibility of educating and guiding the younger generation in public schools. They also pointed out that the dramas could potentially create an inaccurate perception of the Korean public educational system, not only among domestic viewers but also among global audiences.
The union also expressed their disapproval of the promotional videos for the drama, citing their provocative titles. They stated that the drama has negatively impacted the morale of those working in public education, especially on the eve of Teachers’ Day. Additionally, they raised concerns about the portrayal of physical conflicts between the female lead, a teacher, and the male character, as it may present a binary viewpoint to viewers.
The production company of “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”responded to the criticism from the secondary school teachers’ union by stating that as a drama production company, they take responsibility for the concerns raised about the drama’s potential negative impact on the morale of those working in public education. Furthermore, they have carefully reviewed the content and message of the drama.
They reassured, “We have already removed any promotional material on SNS that contained inappropriate titles and we assure you that we will be more cautious in order to avoid causing any further concerns for teachers in the future.”Additionally, they acknowledged, “The production team will take into consideration the critiques and feedback provided by teachers and strive to improve our production.”
Upon receiving a response from the drama’s production company, the union of secondary school teachers expressed their belief that the incident had caused harm to teachers who strive to uphold the values of public education. They further urged the production team to fulfill their promise of using this experience as a chance to be more accountable in their future productions.
After the resolution of the previous controversy, a new issue emerged following the May 19th airing of episode 4 of “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon.”This episode showed Seo Hye-jin drinking with Nam Chung-mi (played by So Joo-yeon) and driving after completing lecture practice with Lee Jun-ho (portrayed by Wi Ha-joon). This depiction of a character drinking and driving alone sparked further criticism.
“Regarding this matter, the team behind “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”stated on the 21st that they promptly acknowledged the issue following the broadcast and have taken steps to remove the scene from the VOD and future reruns. They also expressed their sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused by their lack of consideration, and have pledged to be more mindful of the content’s quality in the future.”
Despite being faced with a series of negative issues within the first two weeks of broadcast, it is uncertain if “The Midnight Romance in Hagwon”will be able to overcome this crisis and turn the situation around in the future.
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