On June 27, the CNCR production company and Meta announced that it has obtained the rights to adapt the webtoon The elementary school I love In a dramatic series. The story follows a young elementary school teacher who, after a break, develops romantic feelings for a game character just to find out that he is actually one of his students.
Originally serialized from 2015 to 2020, the webtoon faced criticism also during his race due to the alleged representation of a grooming narrative between an adult teacher and a minor.
Now that the drama is officially under development, the criticisms have rekindled. On 1 July, the Korean Federation of teachers’ associations (KFTA) issued a strong declaration that asked for the immediate cancellation of the show. The organization condemned the premise as a glorification of the grooming, warning that interpreting this relationship even if fiction undermines the trust and moral integrity essential in the educational spaces.
“This plot is not romantic or fantastic, it is a clear case of grooming that is covered with sugar”, The KFTA stressed. “The teachers are entrusted with the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. This drama distort those values ​​and endanger the credibility of the educational system.”
They also warned that normalizing the inappropriate dynamics of student teachers through the mainstream media could desensitize the abuses of the public to that of the real world and perpetuate harmful misunderstandings about consent and the imbalances of power.
The Netizen echoed to similar worries, calling the drama “dangerous”, “irresponsible”and “Non -update of a serious problem.” Many believe that the adaptation of the webtoon in a drama amplifies only the problematic themes of the original, potentially presenting them to a wider and more impressed audience.
Despite the recourse, no official transmission program or casting information has been announced. As the pressure increases by educators, parents and audiences in general, all eyes are now on CNCR and Meta New Line to see if the production will proceed or will be completely demolished.
