Korean nationalism is on the rise as a result of the latest uproar surrounding the SBS drama ‘Joseon Exorcist.’ K-drama fans are more cautious than ever before about dramas that are supposedly “willing to misrepresent history” and “trade your own country for money.”
Netizens have begun a boycott drive for the forthcoming JTBC drama series ‘Snow Drop’ on numerous online communities.
According to the latest synopsis for ‘Snow Drop,’ the drama takes place in the year 1987:
The plot starts with a young man (Jung Hae In) breaking into a women’s university dormitory soaked with blood. The wounded man is taken in by a young nursing student (BLACKPINK’s Jisoo), who believes he is a student activist and hides him from authorities. The two fall in love, but the woman discovers that the man is a professional spy from the “motherland” as the plot continues (The synopsis does not specify which “motherland” they are referring to). After that, the spy is instructed to assassinate the woman who hid him from the authorities…
Jung Hae In plays suspected “student activist” Lim Soo Ho (who later turns out to be a spy), Jisoo plays Eun Young Cho, a young nursing student as well as Kim Hye Yoon as a university student Kye Bun Ok, Jang Seung Jo, and Jung Yoo Jin as National Intelligence Service agents, and more.
Many netizens found out that Jung Hae In’s character’s male surname “Lim” and Jisoo’s character’s name “Young Cho” are both based on real-life characters who were student protestors at the time.
The entire synopsis of this drama series is troublesome, or “mocking” and “degrading” of Korean culture, according to netizens.
The tale of ‘Snow Drop’ takes place in 1987, a pivotal year in South Korean history. Throughout the year, university students led various marches calling for fair democratic elections. Several university students were persecuted by the National Intelligence Service (which was heavily influenced by the regime at the time) and gave their lives as a result. South Korea held the first “officially democratic” presidential elections in June 1987. The 1987 student demonstrations are credited with “paving the way for South Korea’s democracy.”
However, on the darker side of this story, the National Security Agency arrested, imprisoned, and killed several student protestors. When the students they tortured, executed, and killed were largely innocent, the National Intelligence Agency accused them of being “spies.” It is historically true that during this time period, some known “spies” “disguised” themselves as student protesters, similar to the tale of ‘Snow Drop.’
Netizens accused the drama of “romanticizing” the torture and massacres of student protesters, citing this even from ‘Snow Drop’ (above). Many people found the backstory of the male lead character to be problematic, as well as the fact that the second male lead/love interest is a member of the National Intelligence Service.
Moreover, several netizens, including Ewha Women’s University alumnae, are harshly condemning scriptwriter Yoo Hyun Mi, who penned the story for ‘Snow Drop.’
The scriptwriter is said to have graduated from Ewha Women’s University in 1988, indicating that she was a student in 1987. A screenshot of real Ewha University student protesters was used by many netizens to further attack scriptwriter Yoo Hyun Mi.
Viewers of the drama ‘Snow Drop’ are reportedly complaining that the story “slanders Korea’s democratic struggle” and “is an insult to actual student protesters,” many of whom are still awaiting court action to prove their innocence in their positions during the student protests.
As a result, an online campaign is now using many of the same tactics used by netizens to oppose ‘Joseon Exorcist’ to file lawsuits with JTBC, the production companies associated with ‘Snow Drop,’ and other entities.
The post Netizens Accuse ‘Snow Drop’ of Slandering Korea’s Democracy Movement Even Before the Drama Airs appeared first on ILOVEKSTARS.
0 Comments