[theqoo] "DISCOMFORT OVER THE RELATIONSHIP OF AN ADULT AND A MINOR... '25 21' NOISES SURROUNDING KIM TAERI-NAM JOOHYUK'S LOVE LINE

bypannchoaMarch 14, 2022

Drama 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One' starring Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk is facing backlash online after depicting a relationship with a minor.

On the 10th episode of tvN's 'Twenty-Five Twenty-One' aired on March 13th, Nam Joo Hyuk (who plays a 23 years old man) confessed his love to Kim Tae Ri (who plays a 19 years old high school student). The scene ended with Kim Tae Ri accepting his confession.

Shortly after the broadcast, however, many viewers expressed their concerns and criticisms regarding the media publicly romanticizing a relationship with a minor.

Viewers expressed, "The production team should have reconsidered the scene as the media has an impact.", "I feel uncomfortable depicting a mutual love with a minor who still wears a school uniform.", "Why couldn't the show wait until after Kim Tae Ri graduates for a scene like this?"
CR: Allkpop

original post: here

1. It wouldn't have been too late to confess when she turned 20

2. He could've confessed after she graduated just fine. This shows the writer's ability...

3. Even if that love is not erotic love, but human-to-human love, adults shouldn't be confessing to a minor like that

4. When this was problematic at first, they were saying how he will only confess once they are all adultsㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

5. I do think that depicting a relationship between minors and adults is dangerous... you can't deny the media's influence

6. So she's still a high schooler...

7. Please make her graduate faster~~~~~ㅜ

8. He should've kept his feelings for himself... the moment he said it with his own mouth, he became trash

9. Why must they make a love line involving a minor...

10. When I was in my 3rd year of high school, someone was dating an university student and because of the rumors flowing around, that man got so much hate for dating a high schoolerㅋㅋㅋㅋ and the girl's reputation slowly got worse because of the rumors... am I really seeing this in dramas too now?ㅋㅋㅋ also, even if he's in his 20's, isn't 4 years a big age gap?

[theqoo] LOOKING AT THE 2521 LOVELINE CONVERSATION BETWEEN AN ADULT AND A MINOR VIA KA-TALK TEXTS

On the left, 23 y.o broadcast journalist
On the right, 19 y.o girl in the fencing team

Man: you always lead me to the right place

Girl: ㅎㅎ I think that this is the definition of our relationship! The name is rainbow

Man: It's love. I love you Na Heedo, you don't need a rainbow

Girl: You love me? I don't think that I'm at that stage though..

Man: ㅎㅎㅎ It has nothing to do about what you think of me
- I like you the way you are, no matter what you do or what you look like
- If you become a bit happier through this confession, I won't have another wish

Girl: No other wish? How can it be?
- Is this how love is usually?

Man: That's what I think?
- About you

Girl: ㅎㅎ I'm a bit.. happy ㅎㅎ

Man: ㅎㅎㅎ

"Culture shock"

original post: here

1. Ah... what is this...

2. Wow this is seriously so-so

3. But they aren't officially dating yet

4. The issue here isn't if they are dating or not. The issue is that mass communication keeps on pushing love lines between an adult and a minor. Of course people would be sensitive about itㅇㅇ

5. Huh?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ but when I was watching the drama, I found it so fun

6. I'm someone who enjoyed watching the drama but this made me wonder why must they include a confession scene towards a minor

7. Just think about it.. a TA dating a 3rd year high school student...

8. Ah I'm so pissed, why are people mentioning My Ahjussi here?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ it's obvious that none of you watched it ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I was enjoying 2521 but I did think that that scene would cause mixed reactions. The conversation was way too direct so let's just turn her into an adult asapㅜㅜ

9. It would've been good if she turned into an adult faster but thinking that she could've been my daughter makes me so mad

10. Hearing the dialogue was fine but reading it through texts does make this seem shady.

Yeah, this was a weird decision. I think I am disenstized to this since in America I have seen plenty of shows and movies about high school girls dating dudes in college (or older sometimes). Especially in teenage dramas focusing on partying, sex, and drugs. But, I can see how this would be a no go in Korea.

Quote from zuzuhhaa

i hope people had the same reaction when "goblin" and "the liar and his lover" came out because the same thing basically happened in both dramas, and i don't hear anyone talking about it.

and yeah, i would also be a little awkward about what i just watched if it was that. adults might know its wrong but younger kids probably don't think its bad if they see it on tv, and kids wouldn't know any better if someone who claimed to love them approached them like this irl

Honestly, this is another reason I was not that into Goblin.

It weirded me out that Gong Yoo was in his mid to late 30s and seemingly having a love connection with a girl in high school. One of the main reasons I stopped watching it. Goeun is an adult woman, I know, but it still rubbed me the wrong way because she actually did look somewhat like a high schooler while he legitimately looked like a man in his 30s. If she actually had parents, I'm sure that would have been an issue explored. So instead, they killed them off lmao.

I think Koreans have less of a problem of him wanting to be with her, but with him vocalizing it and them dating while she is in high school. Most of them are saying, hurry and make her adult! So, it's not really the underlying feelings they see issue with, but her status as a minor.

Quote from Kairina

19 isn't considered an adult in sk

It used to be 20, but it's been reduced to 19. I think they still consider her a minor since she has not graduated from high school.

Quote from xoxoshawol

Being 19 and not graduated from High School is shocking to me.

About the series, comments like these sounds off to me.

I think that's normal for some Koreans. I think Ryujin graduated high school at 19.

Probably has something to do with when they start school

Quote from quarkie

This is definitely not that weird to me cause I know people who dated college guys while they were seniors in high school in real life. I also see it a lot more on TV... I mean Pretty Little Liars had a student and teacher couple that you were supposed to be rooting for and Twilight where Jacob imprinted on an actual baby.

That Jacob thing has always been weird.

I don't know anyone who didn't think that was off in some way.

Quote from quarkie

Definitely weird.

The weirdest part for me is that I had read a manga and the author did a one shot sequel set after everyone is grown and adults and the main couple meets a friend they haven't seen in a long time with their pre-teen daughter and at the end of the chapter it was like "and then he married their daughter" and I remember being like WHAT well this has got to be the worst thing ever and then like a month later the last Twilight book came out.

Off topic, but I feel like shoujo mangas have a daddy complex.

I have seen WAY too many mangas where there is a man raising a little girl and he ends up having some kind of sexual relationship with her. Like either marrying her or getting her pregnant.

Usagi Drop, dude was in his 30s raising a female child after her parents died, and then he married her when she graduated high school. At least I knew beforehand about that one so I avoided it. But I watched Showa Genroku Rakugo Shingu, and basically this dude raises this girl after she's abandoned by her parents. When she gets older, she has a baby that mysteriously looks like him, and his apprentice marries her to help her take care of the kid.

I had no idea until I already made it to the end of the show.

Quote from Kataphract

There is a strong romeo and juliet law argument brewing...

I must say I don't have a problem with it, just as long the relationship is mutually healthy.

Probably wouldn't bother me if it was someone else's kid, but if it were my kid, it's a no.

Quote from Nakayuki

Usagi drops is creepy thankfully the live action movie is more focus on their bond like father and daughter.

Actually there're a lot animes about adult relationship with high school girls, especially student-teacher. It's creepy seeing 25years old dating 15yo girl.

Yeah, an abnormal amount of them.

But then, Japan also has a thing for sexualizing child like women/even children. Lolis are a thing and extremely popular.

The age of consent is also like 13 in Japan. But that just means a 13 year old can have sex with a 13 year old legally. And it's only a misdemeanor if a 14 year old has sex with someone over 14. So yeah, their culture is slightly wired that way it seems.

There have also been an uncomfortable amount of male mangaka found to have pedophilic tendencies. Even some authors of really huge manga.

Edit: There is also a weird legal fetishization for children in general. Shota-con and loli-con are both things, so it's not just limited to men preying on young girls.

Quote from blingyblinger

Well geez I was wanting to get into this show but thank you for protecting me

If the show is called 25-21 why couldn't that have just been the ages of the characters

It sucks because it's a really good anime. If it makes you feel any better, his real father is never revealed, but it's hinting pretty heavily that the child may be his since they look very much alike.

Technically that is their ages...in the Korean system.

Quote from Nakayuki

It called shota-con. Shounen-ai is BL genre while Shoujo-ai is GL.

According to law, it's still illegal for adult to having sexual relationship with underage. But well...sometimes reality says otherwise like how joshi kousei/high school girls doing enkou, selling their body to adults.

I mean, if it's anime, real life is scarier. But I've seen literal children's idol with age range 8-12 having handshake events with majority of adult attended the event

Ah, that's right. Thank you for correcting me!

And yeah, it's still illegal, but if you look at the specifics of the law, it's left very ambiguous. Which leaves it open for the right people to abuse the law. This chart outlines it well.

Which means if you have the right money, you can pretty much do what you want unless the person is 12 and younger.

There was a very famous mangaka who got caught with child porn. I think he got probation, and within like a couple years or so, he was back to work.

Quote from ISaidISaid

I thought it was very common in Korean like goblin was a huge hit wasn’t it

Yeah, but I don't think he confessed until she was an adult.

From the comments, they don't seem to care about the unspoken feelings, but actually acting on the feelings.