'Would You Marry Me?' faces criticism due to illegal filming scene

Despite Would You Marry Me? achieving its highest rating yet, the K-drama also drew criticism for a scene in episode 6.

Criticism poured in after the sixth episode of Would You Marry Me? aired on October 25. Shin Seul Ki's character, Yun Jin Gyeong, was shown performing CPR on a cardiac arrest patient in the park. While she was doing this, a man passing by the scene saw Yun Jin Gyeong and secretly filmed her on his phone. Bae Na Ra's character, Baek Sang Hyeon, noticed this and asked Yoon Jin Gyeong to cover herself up before continuing the CPR himself.

In the next scene, Baek Sang Hyeon was shown grabbing the man who performed the illegal filming in another area of the park. He took away the criminal's cell phone and explained, "Illegal filming can result in up to seven years in prison with a fine of 50 million won or less. If you get more forensics (or convictions), you will be a habitual offender. It will be hard for even rich parents to get habitual offenders out." As he was checking the criminal's phone, he deleted the photos and warned the criminal, "I'll let you go this time because I think this is your first time."

Following the broadcast of the K-drama episode, SBS uploaded a clip to its official YouTube channel titled "A Hidden Camera Crime with a Golden Shoe, Cool Education of Bae Na Ra." This action, however, drew immediate criticism from netizens who argued it was inappropriate to forgive the perpetrator of an illegal filming crime without involving the police or following legal procedure. Amid the growing controversy, SBS deleted all related shorts and clip videos from their official YouTube channel.

Would You Marry Me? continued its success with the release of its fifth and sixth episodes on October 24 and 25. The latest episode achieved an average nationwide rating of 7.1 percent, securing its position as both the most-watched program in its time slot across all channels and the most-watched Saturday mini-series.

Choi Woo Shik, Jung So Min, Shin Seul Ki, Bae Na Ra, Seo Bum June, Heo Ji Na, and more are leading the K-drama.

Director Kwon Da Som (Connection, My Demon, and Trolley) and writer Lee Ha Na (Rookie Cops, The Time We Were Not in Love, and Cunning Single Lady) are working together on the rom-com series. 

Would You Marry Me? airs exclusively on SBS and the global streaming platform Disney+ every Friday and Saturday at 9:50 PM KST.

Source

What are your thoughts on this controversy?