Actor Lee Min Ho’s ‘Sex and Pregnancy’ Scene Terrifies ‘When the Stars Gossip’ Viewers

A scene from the latest episode of tvNis struggling to stream K-Dramas Netflix has viewers baffled by the writer, the director and even the cast that took part in the show.

In episode 6 of When the stars gossipa love story on the space station between an astronaut and a gynecologist doctor on a mission, main actors Lee Min Ho AND Gong Hyo Jin can be seen by observing the behavior of mice.

When Gong Hyo Jin’s character, Commander Eve Kim, asks if the two mice will end up mating, Lee Min Ho’s character, Gong Ryong, assures her, claiming he knows what he’s doing.

When it comes to sex and pregnancy, I’m the expert.

— Gong Ryong (according to Netflix’s official English subtitles)

Although the line doesn’t seem too off-putting in the subtitles—or in the dubbed version, where Gong Ryong simply says, “When it comes to pregnancies, I’m the expert”—now getting reprimanded by Korean-speaking viewers who saw/heard it in the original Korean.

In the original Korean, the line is grammatically constructed closer to:

I am the expert in having sex and fertilization.

— Gong Ryong

After the episode aired, viewers flocked to online communities in outrage. Some have pointed out the lack of respect towards OBGYN doctors by describing Gong Ryong as a “breeder”, while others derided the production as being set in space and costing an extravagant amount of money without involving space at all.

• “I can’t believe this is a tvN weekend K-Drama that cost KRW 50.0 billion (about $34.3 million) to make.”
• “What the hell is this?”
• “This… aired? Who pocketed the production budget of KRW 50.0 billion (about $34.3 million)?

• “I’m amazed that this show still got investment with a script like this.”
• “The writer made no effort to make it even remotely sci-fi. Instead, he smothered the entire script in sex.
• “Seo Sook Hyang must have been possessed by a demon or something when she wrote this, because otherwise… What happened?”

• “I’m having second thoughts about the cast that chose to take on these roles.”
• “I’m a gynecologist and… this is offensive. I’m a doctor who treats women, not a damn breeder. This is really disappointing, especially since I liked his previous work.”
• “Both the writer and director have no idea what they are doing.”

Although one netizen recognized the cheekiness in Gong Ryong’s response and linked it to a Natalie Portman clips they had seen…

I wonder if this is a departure from that Natalie Portman video. I think it’s something she said on a talk show about being asked about her father’s work when she was younger. Her father is an infertility specialist, but based on how she described it, her teacher called her mother and asked her about her father or something… I saw it on YouTube Shorts.

— Netizens

…most simply expressed their disappointment with the writer who can’t seem to stop talking about sex, the director who is bringing the show to an end, and even the cast who must have read the script and accepted the role anyway .

• “It is shocking to me that none of the directing team or cast found this script problematic.”
• “This show confused me AF because of the fruit flies. For one thing, scientists would call it “mating,” not “having sex.” I can’t believe the script is still about sex. And… OBGYN doctors are not sex experts. Has this screenwriter never been to a gynecologist before?”
• “What the hell is this…”

• “How many episodes can cast members watch before accepting a role? I would be so disappointed if the actors still chose to be a part of this AFTER reading the script.
• “What does this screenwriter think gynecological doctors do…? I’m disgusted.”
• “Sex, sex, sex. So immature. Which OBGYN doctor would act like this in real life?

• “This is extremely disrespectful to OBGYN doctors.”
• “Has anyone ever said things like that out loud in real life? Like, never?”
• “I’m still trying to draw the connection between an OBGYN and sexual experience.”

This scene is one of many that they turned viewers away from When the stars gossip. Previously, it is “misogynist” The portrayal of supporting characters also faced fierce backlash. That said, viewership is plummeting to all-time lows, proof that viewers show no mercy when it comes to poorly made K-Dramas.

Read more about When the stars gossip Here:

Lee Min Ho and Gong Hyo Jin’s K-Drama reaches an all-time low in ratings