Man sues TV network, says show humiliated short men

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, Nov. 12 (Yonhap) -- A man in his 30s filed a complaint with the Press
Arbitration Commission against Korea's largest broadcaster Thursday over a
program that he said humiliated short men.
The man, identified only by his family name Yu, requested an indemnity of 10
million won (US$8,600) from KBS, claiming he suffered mental distress after
watching the program during which a female college student said "short men are
losers," the arbitration commission said.
The man said he was 162cm tall.
The program "Beauties' Gossip," which airs every Monday night on KBS 2TV,
features female students and foreign women in Korea sharing their views and
thoughts on Korean culture and society.
During the Nov. 9 program, a Korean college student said she could never date
short men and that she considers men shorter than 180 centimeters "losers."
The program triggered controversy, with Internet users cursing the student and
the KBS. The student claimed she was only "reading from the script" given by the
program's producers.
The broadcaster was criticized for not editing out the remarks.
"We did not realize the comments would cause so much controversy," Kim Young-sun,
head of KBS entertainment bureau said. "We plan to make public our official
position on the issue shortly."
hayney@yna.co.kr
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