“To Get Her” to Remove Most of Kim Ri-won’s Scenes Amid Controversy, Warns of Contract Breach Measures

To Get Her, South Korea’s first lesbian dating reality show, is facing heavy criticism after contestant Kim Ri-won’s controversial past came to light. In response to mounting viewer backlash, the show’s production team has officially announced that they will minimize her appearance in upcoming episodes as much as possible.

In an official statement released on May 4 via social media, the production company Display Company stated: “We are currently re-editing the program with the principle of removing as many of the contestant’s scenes as possible.”

However, the team explained that since To Get Her is structured around naturally evolving relationships and emotions between participants, some scenes involving Kim Ri-won are inevitably tied to other contestants’ personal narratives. These scenes will only be retained “after obtaining prior consent and confirmation from the relevant cast members,” and only if absolutely necessary for the storyline.

“These adjustments have been made through discussions with the cast, and future editing will also proceed with care to maintain the narrative flow,” they added.

The team also apologized for the delay in releasing their statement, citing the need to coordinate with all participants and to establish a comprehensive editing plan for both upcoming and remaining episodes.

They strongly denied any accusations of favoritism or malicious editing toward any contestant, clarifying that the pre-screening process for cast members includes criminal background checks, in-depth interviews, and identity verification. Any falsification of this information is regarded as a breach of contract.

Additionally, the production emphasized that any unauthorized release of program content on social media without consent also constitutes a contract violation and will be dealt with based on the severity of the breach.

To Get Her, which premiered on Wavve on April 25, represents a major step for LGBTQ+ visibility in South Korean entertainment.

However, the show quickly became mired in controversy after viewers alleged that Kim Ri-won had previously worked as an adult content BJ (broadcast jockey), was not actually a lesbian, and had made inappropriate suggestions to other contestants about traveling abroad. Kim acknowledged her past as a BJ but insisted that she identifies as a lesbian.

Amid growing public concern, episodes 3 and 4—originally scheduled for May 2—were postponed as the production team reorganized the program.