SEOUL • Popular tvN drama series It's Okay To Not Be Okay has been slapped with a warning by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) for sexually suggestive and inappropriate scenes.

The broadcast censorship body last Wednesday decided to issue a legal sanction to the television series for several breaches against the broadcast deliberation regulations, including Article 27 on duties of integrity and Article 30 on gender equality.

"Even considering the fact that they were meant to exaggeratedly express a character's personality, (the scenes in question) show how insensitive the drama's producers are to gender equality in broadcasting content that may belittle a certain gender and hold the possibility to justify sexual harassment and molestation," the subcommission said, adding the use of excessive abusive language in the series also contributed to the decision.

In the third episode of the series that aired on June 27, female lead Mun-yeong, a character with a personality disorder, overtly stares and touches male lead Gang-tae's body as he gets dressed.

The drama series was also slammed by Internet users for scenes where another male character, who suffers from manic depression and exhibitionism, reveals parts of his bare body, with his genitals covered by a drawing of an elephant.

A "warning" as a legal sanction is considered a heavy penalty in South Korea, as it affects the broadcaster unfavourably during the KCSC's annual broadcast evaluation for licence renewal.

The 16-episode series, available in Singapore via Netflix, starring Kim Soo-hyun and Seo Ye-ji tells the love story of a hurt woman and man who heal each other's traumas. It finished its run on Aug 9.

THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK