In early 2025, tvN's "When the Stars Gossip" is one of the most anticipated Korean dramas, as it stars two famous actors Lee Min Ho and Gong Hyo Jin.
This work also marks the return to the small screen of "rating queen" Gong Hyo Jin after 6 years.
However, the first two episodes aired last weekend did not achieve the expected ratings, with episodes 1 and 2 recording ratings of 3.3% and 3.9% respectively.
Recently, on the online forum theqoo, viewers discussed the lines of Gong Ryong - the character played by Lee Min Ho in the movie.
Gong Ryong is an obstetrician and gynecologist with a mysterious mission. But some of the character's lines have caused a backlash.
Gong Ryong introduced: "I attended private academies after school, got a perfect score on the CSAT, went to medical school, then saw women's uteruses every day and delivered babies every day."
Another controversial moment involved Gong Ryong describing his mother and “aunts,” who worked at the bar and raised him: “My mother and my aunts’ wombs are like wine but comfortable and warm. My aunts’ breasts are soaked in tobacco but are big and safe.”
These lines, which accompanied the hospital birth scene, were described by many viewers as "completely inappropriate", "outdated" and "offensive".
Additionally, a viewer pointed out that when Gong Ryong confronted the men who came to the bar to have sex with his aunt, it was not to resolve issues related to illegal prostitution, but to demand payment, he said: "You have to pay if you have sex with beautiful girls."
Theqoo post about Lee Min Ho's controversial lines attracted more than 80,000 views and more than 600 comments.
Most of the audience was not satisfied with Lee Min Ho's lines, as well as his character setup.
“So it's not just me who's upset. I was really shocked when I saw this scene.”
"The author is a woman and she is famous. Why does she write like this?"
“The dialogue was terrible. I stopped watching because I felt uncomfortable.”
"The author is the one behind “Pasta” and “Don't Dare to Dream,” but she seems to be out of step with the times."
“The male lead's acting is not good, making it even more annoying” - some notable comments.
Previously, when episode 1 aired, "When the Stars Gossip" shocked many viewers because of the "hot" scene between Lee Min Ho and actress Han Ji Eun.
