The Korean Association for Democratic Media emphasized the importance of safeguarding women, children, and teenagers, stressing that they should not be treated as commodities.

Various civic groups expressed their concerns over the upcoming audition program 'UNDER15' by MBN. On March 26, a coalition of 128 civil society organizations, advocating for women's rights, media ethics, youth protection, education, culture, human rights, and labor rights, gathered in front of MBN's headquarters in Seoul. They urged CreA Studio, the production company behind the show, to take responsibility for exploiting young girls and demanded the immediate suspension of all promotional activities relating to the program. Additionally, they called on regulatory bodies to establish clear guidelines for audition programs and entertainment content to prevent the sexualization and violation of minors' rights.

In response to the backlash, the production team held an emergency briefing defending the show on March 25, while the Youth Media Human Rights Network staged a protest on the same day. Despite the team's efforts to deny allegations of sexualizing minors and clarify their position through released footage, public opinion remained unchanged.

The premiere of 'UNDER15' originally scheduled for March 31 has been postponed indefinitely due to mounting criticism over accusations of child sexual exploitation and alleged deceit by the production company.