KBS 2TV’s new daily drama Queen’s House has come under fire after airing a controversial scene that critics say disrespects public kindergartens.
On May 2, the National Union of Public Kindergarten Teachers (Kindergarten Teachers Union) issued a statement condemning the portrayal of public kindergartens in the first episode of the drama, which aired on April 28.
The scene in question involves a wealthy family whose child is attending a public kindergarten and gets kidnapped. In the scene, the maternal grandmother scolds the paternal grandmother, saying, “Does a wealthy conglomerate family send their child to a public kindergarten?"
She added, "If you had sent them to the most expensive private kindergarten, this wouldn’t have happened. Are you disregarding your granddaughter because she’s from a different family?”
The Kindergarten Teachers Union expressed their concern, saying, “We deeply regret the negative portrayal of public kindergartens. This scene undermines the safety and educational value of these institutions, damaging the public’s trust in public education.”
The union further criticized the show, stating, “Linking public kindergartens with child abduction and portraying them as a ‘cheap option’ fosters prejudice and could shake the trust of the public.”
They also reminded KBS, as a public broadcaster, of its responsibility to uphold fairness, public interest, and educational values. The union emphasized the need for more careful reviews of content to avoid distorting public education in future broadcasts.
In response, the production team of Queen’s House issued an official apology on their website. They clarified, “We sincerely apologize for the controversy caused by the lines in the first episode, which viewers pointed out.”
The team explained, “The intention behind the character Kang Jae-in sending her son Eun-ho to a public kindergarten was to demonstrate trust in these institutions, and there was absolutely no intention to disrespect them.”
The production team acknowledged the public’s concerns, saying, “We take the feedback seriously, as the lines may have led to misunderstandings and negative stereotypes about public kindergartens, which could harm public trust in education.”
As a result, the team decided to stop the replay of episode 1 across all media platforms. The controversial lines will be removed, and a corrected version will be re-uploaded on KBS’s website and other platforms.
The production team also expressed their sincere apologies to both viewers and public kindergarten workers, stating, “Moving forward, we will be more mindful of the social impact of our content and take extra care to avoid distorted depictions of public education in our future productions.”
Queen's House is a new daily drama that tells the story of a woman who believes she has the perfect life, only to have it stolen from her, leading her to seek revenge and reclaim what was taken.
Source: [1]
