K-Drama Fans Reject Male Lead Over Misogynistic Portrayal in New Series
Yoo Yeon Seok is facing backlash over his new Netflix drama Phantom Lawyer due to past controversial comments.
The controversy began after viewers called out Yoo for his 2016 remarks about women’s clothing and interest in men. Some fans are now urging viewers to boycott Phantom Lawyer because of this.
Phantom Lawyer started airing on March 13. The supernatural legal drama stars Yoo Yeon Seok as a lawyer who sees ghosts demanding justice.
The outrage stems from a 2016 promo for The Mood of The Day with Moon Chae Won. Yoo commented that if a woman doesn’t wear revealing clothes, he assumes she’s not interested in him. But if she does, he takes it as a “positive sign.”
Twitter users are openly asking fans to skip the drama. One tweet reads:
For my kdrama lovers, skip if you see this male lead https://t.co/rprfsTZB2d
— a. (@zyirancore) March 16, 2026
Another tweet called Yoo a “Korean misogynistic ass man” and urged people to avoid the drama:
Friendly reminder, the male lead character Yoo Yeon Seok was also a Korean misogynistic ass man in real life. So i encourage you all to skip this drama. pic.twitter.com/fq71oM7XD3 https://t.co/Izv2nTy11N
— Purrly Pop (@CozyKitten02) March 16, 2026
Yoo Yeon Seok’s original comment:
If a woman wears something translucent, where you can sort of see something whenever they walk? If they wear something like that when they are out with me, I would think they are interested in me. If they are all covered up, it feels like they are putting up a wall and I think they are not interested in me.
— Yoo Yeon Seok
He also told Moon Chae Won she’s single because she dresses modestly.
The clip resurfaced and went viral again in 2024 during Yoo’s latest drama When The Phone Rings with Chae Soo Bin.
As the situation unfolds, fans remain divided on whether to support the new drama. Netflix has not commented on the backlash.