Upcoming K-pop audition show Under 15 receives backlash for having contestants as young as 8 years old

The upcoming South Korean K-pop audition programme Under 15 has received backlash over concerns of minor exploitation. Set to air Mar 31, the series features 59 contestants – all of whom are girls younger than 16 – competing for a place in a new idol group. 

The youngest contestants in Under 15 were born in 2016 – making them eight and nine years old.

Promotional videos for Under 15 show some of the contestants in heavy makeup, dressed in crop tops and short skirts.

Netizens, from South Korea and internationally, have lambasted Under 15 for exposing these children to potential sexualisation. The criticism of Under 15 has also mounted in the wake of the ongoing scandal involving actor Kim Soo-hyun who was accused of dating the late actress Kim Sae-ron when she was a minor.

In light of the backlash, the production team of Under 15 has disabled comments on their social media pages. However, netizens continue to blast the show in other forums.

"This is very dangerous, judging by their ages. Many families may lose their child, and the child participating will lose much of their childhood which really isn’t healthy," wrote one commenter.

"So much can go wrong, as we know now idols are being overworked and can face heavy criticism which can mentally damage the girls. Also, there are many stalkers and perverts who can invade the girl’s privacy."

Under 15 is spearheaded by veteran producer Seo Hye-jin who has worked on multiple audition shows.

As reported by The Korea Times, Seo previously said of the show: "We are aiming to select members who can lead the K-pop scene, chosen directly by our viewers...I might get criticised for saying this, but our goal is to create an underage Blackpink."