The rom-com series “King the Land” has gone from the most loved to the most hated series due to a misrepresentation.
“King the Land” has been the most raved-about drama series since it first aired. Apart from the applause for the apt comedy and romantic development, the series is under a wave of hate due to a controversial depiction of the Arab Prince Samir in episodes 7 and 8, putting it under nonstop criticism and boycott.
From a well-received K-drama series with a soaring rating that was on its way to breaking into the top 10 all-time highest-rated dramas of JTBC, “King the Land” is facing a wave of boycotts from international audiences. Viewers are rating the drama 1 star on online rating platforms such as IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Google Review.
In the comment sections of Netflix’s Instagram account, viewers are condemning Prince Samir to be an insensitive representation of Arab people. Moreover, Arab fans took issue with the vague response from JTBC. They continue expressing their disappointment with the series, saying they had enjoyed the series until Prince Samir came on the screen.
Not only the producers but the actors are affected by the boycott. In particular, Indian actor Anupam Tripathi became the target of hate as he was responsible for portraying the controversial Arab character. At the time, viewers wondered why an Indian played an Arab person instead of an actual Arab actor.
At the same time, Yoona and Lee Jun Ho also receive criticism from the audience. However, there are still viewers who stand by the actors and state that they are not at fault for playing their roles.
Previously, “King the Land” received massive backlash from the audience when Prince Samir came to the King Hotel. He is Gu Won’s (Lee Jun Ho) old friend and was invited by Gu Won himself to have a relaxing time at the Hotel. However, Samir caused a stir when he went to the club and flirted with multiple women – which is completely against Arab people’s culture and their religion. In response to viewers’ criticism, JTBC only issued a vague statement, saying the characters, religions, settings, and place names are fictional. Furthermore, the “King the Land” crew never specified the origins of the Prince. Currently, the boycott and online hatred have not stopped.
Source: k14
