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Clarification of how R rated shows work with TV & OTT

HardTruth

I am opening this thread to clear the confusion most people from MDL seem to have as you can infer from the comment section.  From what I see, majority of the confusion stems from how many assumed that this show was meant for TV & express their dissatisfaction over mature scenes involving nudity. However I was wondering what might be causing this confusion & realized the tv channel & ott network both have similar sounding names which probably is the reason people have confused the both. So below is the clarification to whomsoever it concerns. 

tvN - Channel(TV)
TVING - OTT platform

Any shows that are meant to premier in tvN is meant to have strict censorship guidelines which even if rated as mature will still have no nudity, extreme gore etc. They have to abide by the strict rules as per the law of the country.

As for the TVING - just like Netflix, they are an OTT platform in S.Korea. They have the same levels of freedom like Netflix. They don't have to adhere to any censorship guidelines like tvN.

Now a lot of you seem to be confusing between the two( tvN & TVING). 'Queen Woo' always was for TVING as an OTT only product & not tvN . It clearly mentioned it premiers & airs only on TVING since the show's MDL page was created. Many popular shows in S.Korea have been aired on both tvN & TVING  (like twinking watermelon) which means they are meant for both TV & OTT consumption which is why they will have the same guidelines on censorship as tvN even if it's also available on TVING . That's the important piece of info yall fail to grasp.

LTNS (2024) show is a good example here. It was an adult themed show , rated R & was exclusively meant only for TVING just like Queen Woo. That show wouldn't have passed through TV censorship to be aired on tvN.

Feel free to add or correct the details but the main goal of this thread is to address the main concern regarding how many seem shocked by the presence of nudity & misinterpreting the rating system.

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renmilktoast

To be honest I'm interested in Queen Woo because I find the premise intriguing but if there's nudity I won't even give it a chance. I watch Korean dramas partly so that I don't have to risk being shocked by sexual content... (maybe I'm in the minority but oh well).

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Ldw

This good you put this on here.  Make sure drama goes to right people. Or right audience. Even if audience is small but wrong people want watch the show.  

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allekseu Contributor

To add more details :

Contents slated for theaters and OTT platforms in Korea are under the supervision of the KMRB (Korean Media Rating Board) which is the heir to an old censorship agency. It liberalized considerably in the recent years (15 years ago they were assigned in court because they systematically handed 18+ ratings to LGBTQ content) and is basically now a functionally independent organization that advises and rates content. They do have an exceptional power to rate out of scale a program if it is deemed to cause extreme harm to society or the nation as a whole but it's been almost never used in the recent years. Domestic services such as TVING, wavve, watcha, coupang play and foreign ones like Netflix go through them.
Ratings are done a priori, before broadcast. No large scale diffusion (Movie, OTT content, MV...) can happen without a KMRB rating.

On the other hand, dramas and shows for TV are under the strict purview of the KCC (Korea Communications Commission) through the KCSC (Korea Communications Standards Commission), which is basically an extension of the Korean presidential office right now. As said, they have strict censorship, they handle civil petition, may impose sanctions, and in extreme case even shutdown a station entirely. If you're interested by politics, there's currently a battle between the government and the parliament on its leadership (https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20240821005400315). They also have an indirect say on the content of public channels KBS1&2 and MBC through a foundation. TV stations self rate programs but it can be revised by the KCC at any time.
Ratings are thus revised a posteriori, after broadcast.

tvN is a commercial private TV channel owned by CJ Group through CJ ENM.
TVING is a commercial private OTT service operated by majority shares (48%) by CJ ENM.

All tvN content goes to TVING (there are exceptions).
Not all TVING content is on tvN. This is the case here.

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HardTruth

Very valuable & detailed insights. I appreciate this :)

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lilili

@allekseu that was fascinating information, thank you for posting!

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Toot

Well said.  I'm honestly just getting fatigued by the "Westernisation sexualisation" rants. I've always stood by checking the ratings before you view BUT you're making me question them here now...

For me, it's violence that I prefer to avoid, and I've definitely found the ratings can be a bit misleading when it comes to suggested violence, and sometimes graphic violence.

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singsfromthesoul

Thank you for this thread! Quick question, what does OTT mean/stand for?

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ASTER
 singsfromthesoul:

Thank you for this thread! Quick question, what does OTT mean/stand for?

"OTT" stands for "Over-The-Top." It refers to the delivery of film, TV, and other video content directly over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite TV services. OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ offer content that can be streamed on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and computers.

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singsfromthesoul
 ASTER:

"OTT" stands for "Over-The-Top." It refers to the delivery of film, TV, and other video content directly over the internet, bypassing traditional cable or satellite TV services. OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ offer content that can be streamed on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and computers.

Based on context, I thought it might be streaming services, but thank you for the clarification!

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parkhyorin

what's LTNS?

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lilili
 ParkTaeNaw:

what's LTNS?

Long Time No Sex https://mydramalist.com/749311-ltns 

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Duermevela

I'm tired of people thinking that nudity in kdrama is due to Westernization because Koreans are “too chaste for that”: it's due to TV censorship, as OP said. Kmovies have had sex and nudity for a long time, this isn't new. To think that Koreans somehow avoid sex depiction because of tv kdramas, i'ts like thinking that they don't smoke because it's also censored in kdramas.  Moreover, it's a way to infantilize a whole country to fit with your fantasy.

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Popcxqueen VIP

This is helpful information! It should also be said that this site paying users like Lily Alice to editorialize articles that are marketed as news is making the problem worse as well. 

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Ivy
 Duermevela:

I'm tired of people thinking that nudity in kdrama is due to Westernization because Koreans are “too chaste for that”: it's due to TV censorship, as OP said. Kmovies have had sex and nudity for a long time, this isn't new. To think that Koreans somehow avoid sex depiction because of tv kdramas, i'ts like thinking that they don't smoke because it's also censored in kdramas.  Moreover, it's a way to infantilize a whole country to fit with your fantasy.

Honestly it almost feels racist and bordering on fetish to me? The innocent Asian dramas being corrupt by big bad western ideals.

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