How ‘몽글상담소’ is Redefining Love for Young Adults with Disabilities: A Must-Watch Reality Show

Photo: SBS

[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung] SBS’s Mongle Counseling Center, buoyed by warm word-of-mouth and the visible presence of pop-culture couple Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon, continued to make waves in its second week—breaking into Netflix’s popularity charts.

SBS Special My Heart Feels Soft—Mongle Counseling Center is the latest project from producer Go Hye-rin, who won the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Work with Hakjeon and the Backside: Kim Min-ki. The series charts an eight-week journey in which young adults with developmental disabilities—nicknamed “Mongle”—who dream of love but have had few opportunities, receive dating coaching from counselors Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon as they search for their first loves.

With two of its three episodes aired, Mongle Counseling Center has earned steady praise for its sincere, affecting portrayal of these young adults’ dating lives and personal growth. The ratings tell the same story: episode two ranked first among terrestrial broadcasters in its time slot, and the key 20–49 demographic rating doubled compared with the premiere. The show also entered Netflix’s Today’s Top 10 Series in Korea for a second consecutive week, holding the No. 8 spot as of March 17 and sustaining momentum amid heavy streaming competition.

The program’s unexpected success and critical acclaim for a dating show centered on young adults with developmental disabilities owes much to Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon. They transcend the usual mentor role, serving as the emotional core of the series and embodying its authenticity.

Photo: SBS

Most striking is their hands-on mentoring style. They do more than observe dates and interpret behavior: they meet participants afterward to review each encounter, discuss what worked and what didn’t, and collaborate on concrete improvements. They act as engaged mentors who prompt real change rather than offering only performative reactions. Their involvement often extends into participants’ everyday lives—Lee Hyori accompanied O Ji-hyun shopping to help style her for a second blind date, and Lee Sang-soon helped Jung Ji-won plan a train trip to Nami Island for her first journey without a guardian—small, practical interventions that support both romantic development and personal independence.

The couple’s demeanor is equally notable. While the public gaze toward young adults with developmental disabilities can tilt toward protection or pity, Lee and Lee take a different view. They treat participants not as fragile subjects but as younger peers encountering dating for the first time—maintaining natural boundaries, offering genuine empathy, and stepping in only when needed. They neither coddle nor pressure; they listen, validate, and provide help at the right moments.

That approach reframes participants as active agents learning to love and build relationships, not merely recipients of assistance. It also allows viewers to see these romances as ordinary human experiences rather than exceptional cases, fostering deep empathy.

Photo: SBS

Producer Go Hye-rin, who developed and directed Mongle Counseling Center, said she specifically recruited Lee Hyori and Lee Sang-soon because she wanted adults who would see these participants as young people first—not defined by disability—which made the couple an ideal fit as the show’s counseling heads.

Meanwhile, SBS Special My Heart Feels Soft—Mongle Counseling Center, promoted as Korea’s first dating reality series featuring young adults with developmental disabilities, will air its final episode on the 22nd at 11:05 p.m.

[Sports Today reporter Kim Tae-hyung ent@stoo.com]
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