Controversy surrounds the latest episode of The Midnight Romance in Hagwon as a drunk-driving scene featuring Wi Ha Joon and Jung Ryeo Won has sparked outrage among viewers.
On May 21, the production team of tvN’s weekend drama took action in response to the drunk driving controversy, announcing that it has removed some of the problematic scenes from the show.
Speaking to Dispatch, the production team acknowledged the issue with the drunk driving scene.
In response, they edited out the problematic scene and replaced it with a revised version on VOD services and subsequent rebroadcasts. The production team apologized to the viewers and vowed to be more careful in the future.
In The Midnight Romance in Hagwon episode 4, Seo Hye-jin (played by Jung Ryeo Won) consumed alcohol with Nam Cheong-mi (played by So Joo Yeon) and then drove a vehicle after her practice session with Lee Jun-ho (Wi Ha Joon).
Viewers criticized the scene, identifying it as a depiction of drunk driving.
After the episode aired, people immediately started criticizing the show because of how it portrayed drunk driving. Lots of viewers left comments expressing their concerns about this issue on the video clip.
The production team heard the feedback and took action by re-editing the scene that caused the controversy. In subsequent viewings like VOD and rebroadcasts, they made changes to that scene.
Specifically, they removed the part where Seo Hye-jin is shown drinking alcohol. However, they kept the scenes where she talks to her colleague and drinks soju in front of him, as well as the driving scene.
The purpose of these edits was to address the viewers’ concerns while still maintaining the flow of the story.
