Why ‘Joseon Exorcist’ and ‘Snowdrop’ Were Some of the Most Controversial K-Dramas in History
Even the K-drama world has projects that elicit negative responses from netizens. While American audiences may be used to series distorting a few facts and taking a creative license, K-dramas are a different story. Over the years, there have been more than a few controversial K-dramas like Snowdrop, once chastised for distorting history.
‘Joseon Exorcist’ was one of the controversial K-dramas that was canceled after two episodes
In 2021, everyone was talking about Joseon Exorcist. The historical supernatural K-drama goes down in history as being the most controversial and receiving the most backlash from netizens. Its storyline focused on King Taejong (Kam Woo-sung) and his two sons, Prince Chungnyung (Jang Dong-yoon) and Prince Yangnyeong (Park Sung-hoon). They work together to exorcise the demons and the undead to protect Joseon. They must answer for the founding rulers’ misdeeds of the past.
The storyline at a glance sounds good, but the K-drama would face absolute turmoil after only two episodes. Joseon Exorcist was accused of distorting historical facts. According to Soompi, the K-drama “came under fire for its use of Chinese-style props and food, which many viewers pointed out was a distortion of Korean history, as well as its problematic depictions of several major Korean historical figures.”
While the production team explained the use of Chinese props in the episode storyline, netizens were still outraged. It led to a drop in ratings, a hiatus, and ultimately apologies from the creators and cast. According to Soompi, on March 25, 2021, SBS announced the official cancellation of the K-drama and paid subsequent fees.
‘Snowdrop’ K-drama was controversial among netizens for its distortion of history
Taking a creative license to tell a story is one thing, but for netizens, misusing historical facts leads to trouble. In 2022, JTBC announced its new K-drama Snowdrop starring D.P. actor Jung Hae-in and BlackPink’s Jisoo in her first acting role. Snowdrop tells the story of a female college student during the Democratic movement of 1987. She meets a wounded, handsome man hiding in her dorm room. Under the impression that he is a protestor, she and her friends help hide him from authorities.
Unknown to them, he is not who he appears to be. The characters get caught in political turmoil. Before its premiere, the K-drama faced immense controversy after an unfinished synopsis was released. Due to the details of the male lead being a spy, netizens accused the writer and K-drama of distorting historical facts.
The production team apologized and clarified that the storyline would rectify and explain the details as the episodes progressed. But to no avail, Snowdrop faced immense backlash. So much so that netizens began a petition to have the K-drama canceled. Many netizens felt Snowdrop was re-traumatizing citizens who lived through the experience. But according to Soompi, the court found no reason to cancel the drama.
While Snowdrop became the most controversial K-drama of 2022, it still received many accolades. Jisoo and Jung were praised for their on-screen chemistry and characters.
‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ and other K-dramas received negative comments
Joseon Exorcist and Snowdrop are not the only K-dramas deemed controversial due to their storyline. The popular Netflix drama Twenty-Five Twenty-One did receive negative responses for the blooming age-gap romance between its two lead characters. The same goes for IU’s My Mister, Goblin, and others.
A K-drama can be controversial for various reasons, from using nudity or sex scenes like in Squid Game to accusations about a cast member. After Park Hye-soo was accused of past bullying, netizens petitioned for the postponement of the K-drama Dear. M.
