Teen files complaint in South Korea over ‘violent’ in-flight movies

A government petition is calling for stronger measures to protect children from exposure to inappropriate content through in-flight entertainment.

“Even if I tried not to watch it, the violent and lewd movie drew my attention, and I had no choice but to see the scenes,” the petitioner, who said they were in middle school, wrote on the Petition 24 website operated by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

They said their sister, a fourth-grade elementary school pupil, was also exposed to the scenes.

“I’m proposing mandatory measures that will prevent other passengers from seeing content that is over certain viewing ratings, such as privacy screens on the monitors attached to the seats,” the petitioner wrote.

They pointed out that both the Child Welfare Act and Youth Protection Act require children and teenagers to be protected from harmful content.

It is unclear what movie the petitioner was referring to.

Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, the two largest carriers in Korea, do not show content rated for viewers aged 19 or above. Airlines also typically use versions of films in which the most graphic scenes have been cut or altered.

In 2020, both airlines removed the highly acclaimed film Parasite from their playlists. The movie is rated for viewers 15 and above because of some violent and sexual scenes.


-The Korea Herald/Asia News Network