Amid fierce public criticism, South Korean broadcaster SBS announced it was canceling a reality dating show after one contestant recently took her own life.
The 29-year-old woman, surnamed Chun, apparently committed suicide the night before the last day of production of “Jjak” on the resort island of Jeju. Crew members found her in a locked bathroom with ahair dryer cord around her neck.
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SBS, one of Korea’s three major networks, apologized to viewers in a statement and promised to take steps to prevent future incidents, according to AFP.
The suicide shocked many Korean citizens, some of whom said the reality show put contestants under too much pressure.
The participants, clad in matching uniforms, are put through various physical challenges in hopes of getting a date out of one of their fellow contestants, before making a final choice at the end of the week.
SBS did not accept any direct responsibility for her suicide, but newspapers have carried interviews with past participants who spoke of feeling bullied and humiliated.
Chun was favoured by three male contestants at the beginning of the shoot, but they had a change of heart and ended up competing over another woman.
Chun told her mother in her last phone conversation she would not be able to live in Korea if the show aired, AFP reported. Her friends said Chun complained producers were trying to portray her as the tragic, unpopular girl.
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