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The Elementary Schooler I Love, a 2015 webtoon that was set to be released as a drama, has been cancelled due to massive backlash from the audience. On July 4, 2025, OSEN shared the official statement by Meta New Line confirming the indefinite pause in the creation of the drama.
The Elementary Schooler I Love illustrates the story of a female teacher and her student, who get caught up in controversy as many people find the relationship between the two subjects inappropriate.
Additionally, the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations also demanded the cancellation of this project due to the indecorous dynamics between a teacher and a young student.
Furthermore, it was also accused of normalizing and promoting p*dophilia through the story. Due to the growing concerns among the netizens and the schoolteacher, the production company shared an official statement announcing the suspension of the plans to release The Elementary Schooler I Love as a drama.
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In a statement they said,
“Meta New Line takes seriously the various concerns that have been raised in society recently and has decided to stop planning and producing the drama based on the webtoon ‘The Elementary Schooler I Love.’ We also sincerely apologize to the author for placing a new burden on the original work produced in 2015.”
They further added,
“We will humbly accept the changing social sensibilities and trends, and we will do our best to create healthy and meaningful content in the future with a more prudent and responsible attitude using this incident as an opportunity.”
The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations criticizes The Elementary Schooler I Love through an official statement
Recently, the web novel The Elementary Schooler I Love garnered attention online as it was announced to have a K-drama adaptation. On June 27, 2025, CNC Revolution, the publication behind the webtoon, and Meta New Line, a production company, confirmed that they had joined forces to take this project ahead.
However, due to the controversial storyline of the 2015 web novel, the drama adaptation idea drew backlash. A female teacher goes through a heartbreak after parting ways with her boyfriend and meets a person through an online gaming platform only to learn that the person is her elementary school student.
This led the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations to put out an official statement urging it to be cancelled. They highlighted the damage this show would have on child actors mentally and psychologically.
They wrotet,
“If this work is broadcast, there is a great concern that it will obscure the seriousness of grooming crimes that occur in reality and make them seem trivial. It is inevitable that the child actors who have to act out the content will suffer psychological and emotional damage. Exposing children to danger for commercial gain is another form of violence.”
Furthermore, they also mentioned the significance of the role a teacher plays in a student's educational growth. They stated that this drama would glorify crimes against minors in the name of romance.
They added,
“Teachers are in a position to build trust with students and engage in education with high morality and professionalism. A narrative that abuses this position to share personal feelings with a minor student is neither romance nor creative work but a glorification of crime.”
Due to the criticism, The Elementary Schooler I Love was officially discontinued on several web novel platforms, including KakaoPage, Naver Series, Ridibooks, and more.
