As one of the countries with a particularly developed film industry, many Korean productions are under accusation of “plagiarism”.
So far, Korea is famous for its strong and rapid development of the film industry. Not only starring many talented actors, but Korean productions also impress the viewers with new and exciting storylines, conveying meaningful messages. However, the suspicion of plagiarism still arises every time a new film or drama is released and turns out to share many “similar” scenes with previous works.
Squid Game
Squid Game was released recently and has been receiving huge attention from a large number of audiences. Although appreciated for its message, many netizens notice that Squid Game has multiple overlapping scenes with As The Gods Will, the famous Japanese movie released in 2014.
Typically, netizens pointed out that the first game of Squid Game is similar to the “Red light green light” game in As The Gods Will in terms of rules and how the players are punished. In response to the accusation, Squid Game’s director Hwang Dong Hyuk affirmed, “When shooting this series, I heard a lot of people saying that my work and As The Gods Will have similarities.
Other than the first game, the other parts are totally different. The concept of the drama was conceived in 2008 and the script was written in 2009 with the first game being ‘Red light green light’. The similarities are simply coincidental. There is no plagiarising from either party.” The director even added that if he had to claim the ownership, he actually did it first.
My Love From The Star
My Love From The Star is a hit series not only in Korea but also among global viewers of Korean dramas. The drama achieved a rating of nearly 30% when it was broadcast in Korea and was widely popular in other countries.
However, My Love From The Star was accused of copying ideas from a webtoon (online comic) called Seolhee. To address this accusation, the production crew of the drama said that scriptwriter Park Ji Eun had prepared the script long before the premiere. The producer even threatened to take legal actions against the webtoon’s writer for defamation. In addition, the scene portraying the past life in My Love From The Star is also said to be similar to American TV series New Amsterdam released in 2004.
The Legend Of The Blue Sea
Owning a famous cast including Lee Min Ho, Jeon Ji Hyun,… ‘The Legend Of The Blue Sea’ premiered in Korea and achieved a rating of nearly 23%. Although it is said to be quite successful, the drama still faced criticism from the public.
Specifically, ‘The Legend Of The Blue Sea’ and ‘Splash’ have related main characters, even kinship relationships in previous lives. This makes the drama considered plagiarism, “referencing” the script from the movie Splash.
In addition, a part of viewers also accused the Korean drama of plagiarizing details from the British series ‘Sherlock’. In particular, episode 1 with details that Lee Min Ho relies on personal characteristics to take advantage of his judgment and then hypnotize is said to be similar to the way of super detective Sherlock Holmes in ‘Sherlock’.
Secret Garden
Although Korea has many good dramas, ‘Secret Garden’ is still a work that is considered a monument of the romance genre. From the relationship of frenemy (friends and enemies), the male lead and female lead, after exchanging bodies, became each other’s soulmates. Although still with a familiar motif, thanks to clever variations, the story has interesting details and is loved by the audience.
However, an incident about the issue of “copying” took place. The author of the webtoon ‘Botox’ once accused ‘Secret Garden’ of plagiarism. In response to the controversies, screenwriter Kim Eun Sook said that she had never read ‘Botox’ as rumored and expressed anger at the baseless slander.
Although there are still many controversies, the success of these Korean dramas is undeniable. And you, what do you think about these products? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!
