Describing Suriname as a drug-ridden land, distortion of the Vietnam War of “Little Women,” and a series of diplomatic issues of K-culture
Critics point out that a more thorough cultural approach is needed as Korean content is gaining huge popularity abroad through OTT platforms.
Director Yoon Jong-bin’s “Narco-Saints” has received protests from the Suriname government for its portraying the country as a drug-ridden lair, and the tvN Saturday-Sunday drama “Little Women” has been embroiled in controversy over distortion of the Vietnam War, sparking a series of diplomatic issues. Critics point out that a more thorough cultural approach is needed as Korean content is gaining huge popularity abroad through OTT platforms.
Earlier, the Radio, Broadcasting, and Electronic Information Bureau under the Ministry of Information and Communication of Vietnam said on Oct 3rd that it had sent an official letter to Netflix requesting that “Little Women” be deleted from Netflix in Vietnam. The content of the drama is accused of distorting Vietnamese history and violated its own film law.
The problems started when some characters In the drama “Little Women” said “In our best battle, each Korean soldier killed 20 Viet Congs,” and “Korean soldiers are heroes of the Vietnamese war.”
Local media and netizens protested against these lines, saying, “The setting and lines in the drama portray the Korean military as war hero.” It is the first time that a Korean work has been deleted from Netflix in Vietnam due to history distortion.
On Oct 7th, a Studio Dragon official told MyDaily, “We would like to talk about some of the concerns related to the settings covered in ‘Little Women’. In future content production, we will pay more attention in consideration of the social and cultural sensitivity,” it said.
Earlier, “Narco-Saints” also became a diplomatic issue between Korea and Suriname. Director Yoon Jong-bin adapted the case of Cho Bong-haeng, who was arrested in Brazil in 2009 after running a drug trafficking organization in Suriname for many years. In the film, Suriname is depicted as a government colluding with the drug lord (Hwang Jung-min) to protect the criminal. In particular, there is a line that said “More than half of the nation is involved in the drug industry.”
Suriname, who had raised this issue from the production stage of the drama last year, said the drama “Narco-Saints” describes its country as a “drug country,” adding, “We will consider legal action against the production company.” In addition to legal measures against the production company, the Suriname government also expressed its position that it would protest against the Korean government through the ambassador.
With K-drama and K-movies attracting attention from all over the world, voices are increasing that they should be more careful when dealing with other countries. A work that emphasizes only the viewpoint of Koreans is bound to draw a backlash from the country concerned. In the past, Hollywood movies have also caused controversy by portraying Koreans in a strange way.
A representative work is “Falling Down” directed by Joel Schumacher. It was controversial that Koreans were described as “handlers” who only have money in their eyes. The main character says, “The U.S. helped Korea, but you only know money,” before beating the owner and breaking down the store. In the end, Warner Bros. Korea, a distributor, withdrew its release in March 1994 after receiving strong protests from Korean civic groups.
With the expansion of OTT, K-Culture has naturally become globalized as Korean content is drawing attention from people around the world. It is no longer content that only Koreans watch anymore. Respect for other countries is more important than ever.
Source: daum
