tvN K-Drama “The Midnight Romance In Hagwon” Comes Under Fire Over “Inappropriate” Scene

tvN’s new weekend K-drama, The Midnight Romance in Hagwon, has stirred up significant controversy with a scene that viewers have deemed inappropriate.

The drama, which is the successor of tvN’s chart-crushing hit Queen of Tears, had already been struggling to win over viewership, even with the much-anticipated romance debut of Wi Ha Joon. The recent controversy has only added fuel to the fire.

The scene in question showed the female lead, Seo Hye Jin (Jung Ryeo Won), driving away in a car with Lee Jun Ho (Wi Ha Joon), downing a significant amount of soju. The scene raised concerns about promoting driving under the influence.

Netizens took to online communities to express their concern, wondering how this was overlooked by such an esteemed director and an extensive post-production crew.

• “It didn’t cross the actress’s mind either? Did she not check the scene?”
• “Whoa, this is Ahn Pan Seok’s drama.”
• “Shivers.”
• “You should say ‘K-Drama’ in the post title, or people who only read the title might misunderstand.”
• “YOU SCARED ME. Ugh.”
• “Did no one realize while editing? Would have expected better from Director Ahn Pan Seok, though…”
• “Oh my…”

After the backlash grew, the show’s production team issued an apology on May 21. They acknowledged their mistake and removed the scene from VOD services and all subsequent broadcasts.