Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra's Twins' First Birthday Party: 45-Person Filming Crew Sparks Controversy

The first birthday party for the twins of comedian couple Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra is drawing attention due to an unexpected number. It was revealed that as many as 45 filming personnel were deployed to the birthday party where family and acquaintances gathered. As reactions clash between those saying "it can be held specially since it is the children's one and only first birthday" and those questioning "if it is too large compared to the scale of a birthday party," a heated debate continues online.

On the 4th, Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra held the first birthday party for their twin siblings, Gang-i and Dan-i, at a banquet hall in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. As it was the first birthday since the children were born, it was a meaningful occasion for the couple. The venue was decorated with pastel-toned fresh flowers and various decorations, and Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra proceeded with the event wearing various outfits, including Hanbok, dresses, and tuxedos.

The second part of the event continued outdoors. A celebratory stage was prepared, and Jo Hye-ryun added to the atmosphere by singing a congratulatory song. Since it was an event on a larger scale than a typical first birthday party, and because the couple is active in broadcasting and YouTube content, the fact that the site itself was arranged like a piece of content also drew attention.

However, what became the biggest topic was not the flashy decorations or the attendance of celebrities. It was the number of filming personnel deployed to the birthday party site. According to details released by the planner in charge of the party, 28 members of the KBS2 "The Return of Superman" filming team, 8 YouTube team members, and 9 commemorative filming team members participated on that day. If the three teams are combined, the number of personnel in charge of filming and recording reaches 45.

The planner described this as "an unprecedented record. A record that will not happen again in the future." If guests and event staff are added, it is expected that many more people were present at the site. The reason this was perceived as particularly unusual online is that a large-scale group of broadcasting filming teams, YouTube production crews, and photo/video personnel moved for a first birthday party, which is easily thought of as a private event centered on family.

Some netizens cast uncomfortable glances. Reactions such as "Can't a first birthday party be held just with family?", "It's too excessive," and "With 45 people in the filming crew alone, isn't the scale too large?" emerged. Exaggerated expressions like "One would think it's the first birthday of a child from the British Royal Family" also appeared, increasing critical voices regarding the scale of the event itself.

Opposing opinions were also not few. Reactions included "What does it matter if they are holding their own children's birthday party with their own money?", "It's the children's one and only first birthday, so they can do as much as they want," and "It can't help but be a special day for parents of twins." In particular, since the couple, who are broadcasters, have been revealing their daily lives and family stories as content, opinions emerged that it is excessive to make an issue out of it just because there is a large filming crew.

An interesting point is that Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra had not planned a grand birthday party from the beginning. Im Ra-ra revealed through YouTube last month that "we originally intended not to hold a birthday party." She explained that while there were many people she wanted to meet while raising the children, she felt sorry for not even being able to contact them properly, and thus ended up preparing the event to meet those people in one place.

Son Min-su also said that he had not prepared with the birthday party in mind from the start. He explained the situation at the time to the effect that "if we had intended to do it from the beginning, we would have taken a long time and prepared slowly, but we weren't going to do it and then suddenly ended up doing it." As the unplanned event was pushed forward late, it ended up expanding into a large-scale site as various broadcasts and content filming overlapped.

Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra married in 2023 after dating for 9 years. Afterward, they underwent IVF treatment and embraced twin siblings, facing an important life change from a couple to parents. That process was revealed to a significant extent through their YouTube and broadcasts, and after pregnancy and childbirth, parenting also became one of their major contents.

Because of this, it is also possible to interpret this birthday party as an extension of the family content the two have been revealing so far, beyond a simple family event. Conversely, it is a natural reaction that views are arising regarding whether a private family event is being turned into content excessively. In particular, as the specific number of '45 people' became known, the scale of the filming was highlighted more than the event itself, and this is spreading into a debate about the boundary between a celebrity's private life and content production.

Ultimately, the core of this controversy lies not in how large the birthday party was held itself, but in the difference in perspective regarding how far it is natural for a broadcaster couple's family event to be revealed and utilized as content. For Son Min-su and Im Ra-ra, it was a meaningful occasion to celebrate the twins' first birthday and meet long-time acquaintances in one place, but to the public, the number of 45 filming crew members left a stronger impression.

The birthday party, which they did not intend to hold, ended up becoming a first birthday event that left the unusual record of a '45-person filming crew.' This is the reason why voices of celebration and support are appearing simultaneously with reactions saying "it is too excessive." As the couple has been revealing their daily lives through broadcasting and YouTube, interest is also gathering in what scale and manner their family content will continue in the future.

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