Extreme Korean game stirs heated controversy

Physical 100 is the number 1 Netflix show right now in Korea. 100 contestants, 77 men and 23 women are competing in an extreme survival of the fittest game. A big cash prize is at stake. Two participants have been accused of physical assaults in real life. One is under investigation for an alleged assault against his partner.

In the show, men and women can fight against each other in one-on-one wrestling matches.  Is it fair that a man picks a woman as opponent? Does the image of a woman pinned down to the floor by a man foster misogyny? What do female contestants think about this?

Video by Soo Min Kim

Produced by Anna Bressanin & Natalia Guerrero

9 November 2023