Running Man has officially closed one of its most debated chapters. The SBS variety show faced a formal sexual harassment complaint over a kissing game involving actress Ahn Eun-jin and cast member Yang Se-chan. South Korea’s broadcast review body has now ruled that the segment did not violate broadcasting regulations, with four of five committee members voting “no issue.” The decision ends an 11-month review process that began after viewers criticized the show for airing repeated requests for physical contact during family viewing hours.
What Happened in the Running Man Kissing Game
The controversy traces back to the November 23, 2025 episode of Running Man, which featured Ahn Eun-jin and Kim Mu-jun as guests. The two actors appeared to promote the SBS drama Dynamite Kiss, also known in Korean as Kiseuneun Gwaenhi Haeseo! and variously translated as Kissing for Nothing or Kiss Is Not for Nothing. The production team built a game around the drama’s title, calling it “Kissing for No Reason.”
The game format was simple on paper. A blindfolded cast member received a kiss from another participant and had to guess who had kissed them. Yang Se-chan was chosen to receive the kisses, and Ahn Eun-jin was selected as the person who would kiss him.
From the beginning, Ahn Eun-jin showed visible hesitation. She asked, “There was no rule saying I really had to do it, was there?” before eventually kissing Yang Se-chan. As Yang tried to identify who had kissed him, other cast members took turns kissing him again. When Ahn kissed Yang on the wrist, Ha-ha joked, “Guess you should get one more, right?” Yang also playfully leaned his face toward her as if asking for another kiss. Ahn waved her hands in refusal and looked uncomfortable while laughter broke out on set.
Viewer Complaints Focused on Family Viewing Hours
The episode aired during Running Man’s regular Sunday evening time slot, which starts at 6:10 p.m. KST. That family-friendly broadcast window became a central point of criticism. Complaints filed with the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) argued that the show aired scenes appearing to pressure a female guest into repeated physical contact while families were watching.
Online reactions after the broadcast were sharply divided but strongly critical in many quarters. Commenters asked whether the scene amounted to sexual harassment, questioned why a terrestrial broadcaster would air such a game, and described changing the channel while watching with family. Criticism also targeted the production team for using Ahn Eun-jin’s hesitation as comedic material.
Social media posts from the time captured the frustration. Some viewers called the game old-fashioned and disrespectful. Others said it felt like behavior that belongs in private, shady settings rather than on national television in 2025. One widely shared reaction asked why the show could not have used stickers, paper kisses, or any other kiss-themed alternative.
The backlash was intense partly because Running Man has long positioned itself as a family-friendly weekend variety show. Viewers said the segment put a guest in an uncomfortable position and asked the producers to return to fun, harmless games.
The Review Panel Vote and Official Reasoning
The 26th Broadcast Review Subcommittee of the Korea Communications Standards Commission deliberated on the episode on October 13, 2026. The minutes were released on October 21 and reported widely on October 29 and 30. The subcommittee voted “no issue” for the November 23, 2025 broadcast.
Five committee members participated. Kim Min-jung, chair of the Broadcast Review Subcommittee, joined members Kim Woo-seok, Kim Il-gon, and Jo Seung-ho in voting “no issue.” Member Hong Mi-ae dissented, arguing that administrative guidance called an “opinion presentation” would be more appropriate than a full statutory sanction. With four votes against sanctions, the majority decision stood.
The majority reasoning rested on two pillars: voluntary participation and the nature of the physical contact. Chairwoman Kim Min-jung concluded that the cast members knew the game’s format and content in advance and that it was difficult to characterize the contact as forced against anyone’s will. She stated:
“I thought it was difficult to view this as sexual remarks or sexual physical contact.”
She also drew a distinction between viewer discomfort and a regulatory violation. According to Kim Min-jung:
“Just because an expression may be somewhat uncomfortable does not mean that it necessarily falls under the expressions prohibited by the review regulations.”
The majority opinion also weighed the lightness of the contact. Committee members noted that the physical interaction was at the level of a kiss on the wrist or arm, not a sexual act, and that the variety show context mattered. They concluded the scene did not reach the threshold for a dignity violation under broadcasting review rules.
The Lone Dissent: Hong Mi-ae’s Objection
Hong Mi-ae offered the only contrary view, and her objection centered on how the show handled the guest’s visible discomfort. She argued that the segment was inherently likely to trigger sexual harassment controversy. Her specific criticism was that Ahn Eun-jin’s flustered and hesitant reactions were used as a source of laughter rather than treated with care.
“I think this was a broadcast that was bound to spark controversy over sexual harassment.”
Hong acknowledged that there were moments when a cast member’s refusal was respected. Because of that, she did not call for a statutory penalty. She instead recommended an “opinion presentation,” a form of administrative guidance that signals concern without formally punishing the broadcaster. Her position was that the show deserved a warning about its editorial choices, even if the scene did not meet the legal bar for sanctions.
The split vote revealed a broader tension in South Korean broadcasting review: the gap between what makes viewers uncomfortable and what violates written regulations. The majority focused on consent and the absence of explicit sexual contact. The dissent focused on tone, context, and the responsibility of a public broadcaster airing a game during family hours.
How the Cast and Production Handled the Scene
The on-air segment itself included moments that complicated the picture. Kim Jong-guk encouraged Ahn Eun-jin by telling her it was “just like acting” before she kissed Yang Se-chan’s arm. Yang and Ha-ha continued teasing her afterward, with Yang at one point pretending to lean in for another kiss. Ahn waved her hands in refusal and looked embarrassed, and laughter followed on set.
Ahn Eun-jin eventually completed the game and was revealed to be the “Mafia” participant. She joined in with the cast afterward, which the majority opinion cited as evidence that the mood was playful rather than coercive. The review panel also noted that the show did not force a kiss on the lips and that the guest’s refusals were ultimately respected.
SBS did not issue a separate public statement beyond the review process. The network’s position was effectively represented through the broadcast review outcome. Running Man continued its regular Sunday broadcast schedule without interruption during the review period.
Fan Reactions Split Between Backlash and Defenders
The review decision did not end the public debate. Online communities and comment sections showed two distinct camps. One side continued to criticize the show for what they saw as outdated and disrespectful game design. The other side pushed back against the controversy itself, arguing that the reaction was excessive and that the game was clearly lighthearted.
Korean-language reactions captured this divide. Some commenters asked whether every kiss scene in a drama should also be labeled sexual harassment, since actors are directed to perform them. Others dismissed the controversy with phrases suggesting the criticism was overblown or rooted in an overly sensitive reading of a variety show. The phrase “Joseon dynasty?” appeared in reactions mocking the backlash as regressive.
International viewers were more consistently critical. English-language coverage described the segment as tone-deaf and out of step with current standards. Commenters on platforms like theqoo expressed shock that a 2025 terrestrial broadcast would feature such a game. The criticism focused less on the individual cast members and more on the production team’s decision to build a game around repeated physical contact with a female guest.
The Drama Connection: Dynamite Kiss and Its Promotional Context
The game was tied directly to Dynamite Kiss, the SBS romantic comedy that Ahn Eun-jin and Kim Mu-jun were promoting. The drama stars Jang Ki-yong and Ahn Eun-jin as its central couple, with Kim Mu-jun and Woo Da-vi in supporting roles. It premiered on SBS in November 2025 as a Wednesday-Thursday series.
The production team named the game after the drama’s Korean title, Kiseuneun Gwaenhi Haeseo!, which literally translates to something close to “Kissing for Nothing” or “You Shouldn’t Have Kissed.” The title itself is a playful phrase, and the game was designed as a light parody of the drama’s romantic premise. That promotional intent became part of the problem: what was meant as a tie-in comedy segment read to many viewers as a forced physical interaction.
The episode, numbered 778, was titled “Dynamite Abandonment Race” and aired on November 23, 2025. It featured Ahn Eun-jin and Kim Mu-jun alongside the regular Running Man cast, including Yoo Jae-suk, Kim Jong-guk, Ha-ha, Yang Se-chan, Song Ji-hyo, Ji Suk-jin, and Jeon So-min. The kissing game was one segment within a larger episode built around the drama’s theme.
Why the Review Took Nearly a Year
The complaint was filed shortly after the November 23, 2025 broadcast. The review subcommittee deliberated on October 13, 2026, and the minutes became public on October 21, 2026. The nearly 11-month gap between broadcast and decision reflects the backlog and procedural pace of South Korea’s broadcast review system, particularly for complaints that require full subcommittee deliberation rather than summary dismissal.
During that period, the controversy remained a recurring topic in Korean entertainment media. Articles revisited the scene, social media clips circulated, and the debate over variety show boundaries continued. The final vote gave the controversy a formal endpoint, but it did not resolve the underlying disagreement about what family television should look like.
What the 4-1 Decision Means for Running Man and SBS
For SBS and Running Man, the practical outcome is that no penalty, fine, or mandatory corrective action will be imposed. The show can continue broadcasting without a formal sanction attached to its record. The “no issue” ruling means the review body did not find a violation of the broadcasting regulations it enforces.
The decision does not, however, function as a clean endorsement of the game’s design. The dissenting opinion and the majority’s acknowledgment that viewers could reasonably feel uncomfortable both signal that the segment sits in a gray zone. Future complaints about similar games could face a different outcome depending on the specific facts, the participants’ reactions, and the broadcast time slot.
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For Ahn Eun-jin, the episode remains a promotional appearance that became a controversy she did not initiate. She completed the game as directed and continued with the rest of the episode. For Yang Se-chan, the segment generated online criticism over his repeated requests for another kiss, though the review panel did not single out any cast member for misconduct.
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