JTBC’s historical drama Snowdrop faces another hurdle. This time, professors and scholars from Korea gathered and penned a letter to Luke Kang, president of The Walt Disney Co. Asia-Pacific region. Disney Plus.
Snowdrop is the most-watched series on Disney Plus in four Asian countries. The platform is also responsible for streaming the show worldwide. Hence, Korean professors and scholars created the open letter to express their concern on the historical references of the South Korean drama set in 1987, a momentous year in the history of Korea.
However, unlike other protestors, they do not demand the platform stop streaming the drama. Instead, they want the company to ask for Korean history experts in the country and worldwide to carefully examine the historical references in the show and how it was used.
For those who don’t remember, the kdrama that premiered on December 18 was accused of historical distortion. The grounds of this historical distortion include the unfavorable view of the pro-democracy movement in South Korea, the humanizing and glamorization of the former Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP.) The ANSP was the government agency responsible for the torture and murders of activists in those times. Protesters signed a petition to the Blue House demanding the cancellation of the show, which surpassed 300,000 signatures.
In that letter, they wrote that the purpose of the request was to make the company aware and informed. That way, they can create an “informed decision” in broadcasting a show that is relevant in Korean History.”
A total of 34 professors signed this letter. President Kang and Disney+ are yet to reply to their open letter.
