"Don't Dare To Dream" Responds To Criticism Over Portrayal Of Weather Forecasters

After the premiere of SBS’s new drama “Don’t Dare to Dream (Jealousy Incarnate),” the show’s producers have responded to complaints about its portrayal of weather forecasters.

“Don’t Dare to Dream” stars Gong Hyo Jin, Jo Jung Suk, and Go Kyung Pyo, with Gong Hyo Jin playing a weather forecaster who has dreams of being a news anchor. Some viewers have criticized the show for appearing to degrade the job of weather forecasters in its first episode, particularly by portraying the job as unstable and subordinate to that of news anchors, and also having Gong Hyo Jin’s character wear padding on her backside while forecasting the weather, as a male director encourages her to show off her curves.

On August 25, a representative of the production company behind “Don’t Dare to Dream” stated, “We had absolutely no intention of degrading the job of weather forecasters. The reason the character is portrayed so dramatically is because it is a drama. We hope that you will not make judgments based on the first episode alone, and will continue watching to find out how the female lead comes to find pride in her work as a weather forecaster.”

“We apologize if it appeared as though we were degrading them, but we had absolutely no intention of doing so,” the representative added.

Meanwhile, former weather forecaster Choi Yoon Jung, who was consulted by the show during its production, has issued a statement outlining some of the elements in the first episode that differ from real life. She explains that weather forecasters work in an entirely different field than news anchors, producing their own weather reports as experts, and that the hiring process for news anchors and weather forecasters is entirely separate.

She goes on to point out that as most weather forecasters work as freelancers, they would not be helping with the preparation for other segments of a news show, contrary to the actions of Gong Hyo Jin’s character. Choi Yoon Jung says that the depiction of news anchors as superiors and weather forecasters as subordinates in the show is also unrealistic, and that weather forecasters do not experience such discrimination in the real world.

Choi Yoon Jung comments that although she understands that the show depicted weather forecasters in such a way for the sake of dramatic effect, she thinks that it may be providing misinformation to viewers who aren’t informed about the occupation. She clarifies that she was consulted during production only on aspects of her former job that related to how she acted in front of the camera while delivering the weather forecast.

“I hope that there will be no further controversy, and that the show in the future will properly represent weather forecasters as expert broadcasters who convey information about the weather,” she states.

In addition, actress and former weather forecaster Park Eun Ji wrote on her Instagram, “‘Don’t Dare to Dream’ premiere! I’m in it too~ I play news anchor Park Jin~ But weather forecasters don’t really wear butt pads. I didn’t either, haha. It must just be for fun, right? I’m only in it for a tiny bit, so please keep an eye out for me.”

What do you think about “Don’t Dare to Dream”‘s depiction of weather forecasters?

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