The new drama “The Exorcist of Joseon” (pictured) has been suspended due to controversy over its distortion of history and use of Chinese props, and the controversy has spread to other Korean dramas that have recently featured many Chinese-funded advertisements. (Photo taken from SBS website sbs.co.kr)
The new SBS drama “The Exorcist of Joseon” has been suspended due to controversy over its distortion of history and use of Chinese props, and the controversy has spread to other Korean dramas that have recently featured many Chinese-funded advertisements, forcing producers to start excluding Chinese-funded sponsors.
On the night of 26th, “North Korea Exorcist” was the top trending topic on Twitter in Korea, but the work without Chinese sponsorship has led to a series of discussions on Chinese sponsorship of Korean dramas, even making the producers say that there is no need to accept Chinese sponsorship at the risk of being suspended by viewers’ protest.
The new SBS costume drama “The Exorcist of Joseon” has been controversial even before it started airing. The setting of the drama is that Joseon was founded with the help of the Holy See, which was questioned as a distortion of Joseon’s history, and the use of Chinese props such as moon cakes and eggs in the first episode of the drama, as well as the heroine wearing a costume that resembles Hanbok, caused discontent among viewers.
Although SBS explained that these props were used only to show that the drama takes place at a distance from the capital city of Hanyang, the protest was not enough to cause sponsors to withdraw their funding, and the new drama, which had completed 80% of its filming, was cut off after only two episodes.
South Korea’s MBC TV reported on the controversy over the Korean drama “North Korean Exorcist”, citing the use of mooncakes, eggs and other Chinese props in the drama (about 33 seconds into the movie).
The two countries have a long history of disputes over Culture and history, from the dispute between Chinese kimchi and Korean kimchi, Chinese costume and Korean costume, to China’s previous claim that the history of Goguryeo is Chinese history and not Korean history, all of which upset Koreans who are proud of their own culture.
The Korean media analyzed that China’s “appropriation” of cultural history and its invasion of the Korean content production industry with its huge market and capital have made the Koreans have deep resentment, including the previous Korean dramas such as “Goddess of Mercy” and “Yakuza Lawyer”. The “Goddess of Mercy”, “The Lawyer” and other Korean dramas with indirect advertisements of Chinese brands in the dramas have caused protests.
In an interview with Chosun Ilbo, Lee Dong-gu, a professor of psychology at Yonsei University, said that “the Chinese Communist Party‘s behavior has gone beyond what can be tolerated” and that Koreans have decided to take action to counter it.
In addition to expressing protest against placement marketing, South Koreans’ anti-China sentiment has also begun to show up in their shopping choices, with a Food industry source noting, “The refusal to buy Chinese-made products, mainly kimchi, is mainly due to the Korean-Chinese cultural controversy caused by the CCP’s egocentrism, and South Koreans’ resentment is gradually rising.”
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