Historical K-Dramas Halted Because So Many Actors Under #MeToo Sexual Assault Accusations
Producers have decided to halt historical K-Dramas from airing until the end of this year due to the sexual assault scandals of so many veteran actors.
Popular veteran actors, such as Oh Dal Su and Jo Jae Hyun (pictured above), have recently been accused of sexual harassment.
Actors such as the late Jo Min Ki, Jo Jae Hyun, Oh Dal Su, Choi Il Hwa, Choi Yong Min, Kim Tae Hoon, and Han Jae Young have all been involved in the recent #MeToo movement and therefore, producers have become very sensitive in terms of casting.
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Although the validity of the sexual harassment accusations have yet to be discovered, the accused actors have stepped down from their drama roles to avoid farther controversies. The drama producers were left in a difficult position of having to search for new actors at the last minute.
tvN’s My Mister, OCN’s Children of a Lesser God, and MBC’s Let’s Look at the Sunset Holding Hands all have had actors step down since the #MeToo movement.
As a result, they have come to the conclusion that it would be better to halt production of certain dramas altogether until the end of the year rather than produce a drama that could create an issue. A broadcasting station affiliate mentioned that they have even come up with the idea of developing a scenario focusing on a female lead, emphasizing that the #MeToo movement has changed the direction of recent broadcasting trends.
Meanwhile, actors have been facing their share of the impact as well. One affiliate expressed frustration and concern for the actors who aren’t involved in the scandal, but affected by the new light cast upon veteran actors.
“It’s very unfortunate that the few veteran actors involved in the MeToo scandals are making everyone look the same. There are many good actors as well. It was already nearly impossible to be cast, but now that they’re not even casting, it’s a really frustrating situation.” — Broadcasting Station Affiliate
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