Requests for Shin Dong-yeop to get off are pouring in over a number of programs such as SBS’s ‘TV Animal Farm’ hosted by broadcaster Shin Dong-yeop. Opposition erupted over the appearance in Netflix’s ’19 Gold’ content, which illuminated the Japanese sex industry.
The Netflix entertainment show ‘Sex + Person: Japan’ starring Shin Dong-yeop was released on the 25th. It is a talk variety show with the purpose of exploring people in the adult culture industry, and was hosted with singer Seong Si-kyung. In the 6-episode series ‘Japan’, the moderators experience adult products and adult VR rooms, as well as interviews with actual AV (adult video) actors.
Shin Dong-yeop played the role of a boss and a new employee with an AV actor and indirectly experienced AV filming. The two MCs personally visited adult filming locations and adult product companies to hear explanations. In the broadcast, sexual slang and profanity were used without filtering.
Some viewers who encountered the content expressed discomfort. Japan’s AV is illegal in domestic distribution, and sexual exploitation in the AV industry is emerging as a social problem in Japan. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the sexual level of the broadcast content was excessively high and that adult products appeared without mosaic treatment.
Because of this, criticism arose that it was inappropriate for Shin Dong-yeop to continue appearing in ‘Animal Farm’, which families watch together. In fact, on the bulletin board of ‘Animal Farm’ viewers, there are hundreds of posts demanding Shin Dong-yeop get off. Some viewers criticized, “I promoted a distorted sex culture” and “I don’t know why a person called the national MC participated in such a program.” Requests to get off are flooding in another variety show, ‘Amazing Saturday – Doremi Market’ (tvN), in which Shin Dong-yeop appears.
On the other hand, some public opinion supports Shin Dong-yeop. They defended themselves by saying, “Our country needs to change their perception of sex,” and “It’s not like they committed a crime, but getting off is too much.” In general, with women expressing their critical opinions and men taking a defensive stance, the online controversy is turning into a gender confrontation.
Meanwhile, on the 28th, Shin Dong-yeop made a statement that seemed to be conscious of this controversy at an official event. As the host of the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards held on this day, he said about the keyword ‘challenge’, “I am also challenging. I like fun things, I like erotic things, and I keep trying new things.”
Reporter Kwon Nam-young kwonny@kmib.co.kr
