KBS’s “Mr. House Husband” Faces Backlash For Airing Middle School Boys Getting Circumcised

“The broadcasting networks didn’t think about the children.”

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of graphic content that may disturb some readers.

KBS2’s variety show Mr. House Husband is receiving backlash for filming and airing five middle school boys undergoing circumcision surgery.

On the September 17 episode of Mr. House Husband, former baseball player Hong Seung Heon‘s middle school son and his friends were shown undergoing the procedure.

Middle School boys undergoing procedure | KBS

The episode showed the boys being anxious about the procedure, during the surgery, and after the surgery in pain.

Audiences lambasted the show’s depiction of the minors, saying it was both disturbing and cruel.

  • “Is this something to laugh about?”
  • “Regardless of gender politics, this really doesn’t seem right.”
  • “What are you doing with minors? Wow.”
  • “How did this get approved to air?”
  • “The broadcasting networks didn’t think about the children.”
  • “This should get them banned for life.”
  • “Is genitals a joke?”

Hong Seung Heon is a decorated former baseball player who made his debut for the Korean Baseball Organization league’s Doosan Bears in 1999. The baseball player retired in 2016 with a career batting average of .301 alongside 208 career home runs to go along with 1120 runs batted in. The catcher won six Golden Glove Awards and was runner-up for the league’s batting crown for three consecutive years from 2008-2010. Hong Seung Heon married former model Kim Jung Im in 2004, with whom he has a son and a daughter.

Hong Seung Heon | Doosan Bears
Kim Jung Im (left) and Hong Seung Heon (right) | Hankyung

Mr. House Husband is a variety show on KBS depicting the lives of celebrity families. The show features Hong Seung Heon, Choi Min Hwan, Yoon Da Hoon, Kim Bong Gon, Lee Chun Soo, and Jung Tae Woo.

Source: Seoul Shinmun
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