The webtoon “The Elementary School Student I Love,” which features a romantic theme between a female teacher and an elementary school student, faced intense backlash from teachers’ associations, leading to its removal from platforms and the cancellation of its planned adaptation into a drama.
According to a report by Star News on the 3rd, the drama production of “The Elementary School Student I Love” has been ultimately canceled due to the controversy surrounding the glorification of pedophilia and grooming crimes. The production company, Meta Newline, had initially intended to adapt the drama in a different direction from the original work to quell public concerns but ultimately decided to abandon the production due to the sensitivity of the issue.
Meta Newline stated to Star News, “We have decided to halt the planning and production of the drama based on ‘The Elementary School Student I Love’ after seriously considering the many societal concerns raised recently.”
“The Elementary School Student I Love” depicts a story where a female elementary school teacher, after a breakup with her partner, discovers that a character she had a romantic relationship with in a game is, in fact, her student. When the webtoon was serialized from 2015 to 2020, it also sparked controversy over the depiction of pedophilia and grooming crimes.
Recently, when the original platform C&C Revolution and production company Meta Newline announced plans to adapt the webtoon into a drama, teacher groups voiced strong opposition. The work reportedly includes scenes where the main character, the female teacher, feels romantic excitement towards an elementary student.
The Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations issued a statement on the 1st, urging the cessation of drama production and broadcasting, citing that “such narratives, which develop personal feelings with a minor student into a romantic relationship, cannot be dismissed as mere romance or fantasy but are clear glorifications of grooming crimes.”
Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union also released a statement on the 2nd, expressing shock and anger among elementary school teachers nationwide over the news of the live-action drama adaptation, pointing out that similar controversies arose even during the webtoon’s serialization.
Major platforms like Naver Webtoon, Kakao Page, and Ridibooks decided to discontinue the service of “The Elementary School Student I Love.” A representative from Naver Webtoon mentioned that they suspended sales to protect users, acknowledging the potential issues indicated by many users. Kakao Page similarly stopped the sale in collaboration with the publisher after recognizing the issue.
Finally, Meta Newline heeded the growing criticisms and concerns regarding the drama adaptation and opted to cease production.