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| An "X" mark is drawn on a scene from the eighth episode of "Little Women," which includes controversial dialogue about the Vietnam War / Screenshot from Twitter |
Some dramas face backlash in certain countries over disrespectful scenes
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Korean drama series are going global as they have become available to a wider range of viewers due to streaming platforms that offer subtitles in multiple languages. While enjoying global popularity, the Korean drama production industry now faces the new task of becoming culturally sensitive.
Several dramas have come under fire for containing racist stereotypes and undertones, sparking a backlash from foreign viewers and forcing their governments to take action.
"Little Women" was removed from Netflix in Vietnam for its depiction of the Vietnam War. Following a written request from the Authority for Broadcasting and Electronic Information in Vietnam, Netflix removed the series from its service in the Southeast Asian country.
The controversial scenes appeared in episodes three and eight, where a Korean veteran who took part in the Vietnam War explains that the killing ratio for Korean troops was 20 to 1 (meaning one Korean soldier killed 20 Vietnamese). The episodes also included other forms of discriminatory terms directed at Vietnamese soldiers during the war, which many viewers found overtly offensive.
Studio Dragon, the production company of "Little Women," apologized for any "discomfort that a particular scene may have caused" after Vietnamese viewers complained about historical distortions.
Netflix's "Narco-Saints," titled "Suriname" in Korean, was also hit for portraying the South American country as a drug trafficking hub.
Albert Ramdin, the Surinamese foreign affairs minister, denounced the series for including a negative depiction of its people and culture, and warned the country will take legal action against the producers of "Narco-Saints."
"Suriname no longer has the image that emerges in the series or no longer participates in these kinds of practices," Ramdin said.
Netflix said it did not intend to offend the country.
"The stories on our service are not intended to be disrespectful or hurt the sentiments of any community or group. However, the members may have different perspectives about what's acceptable on-screen and want to make their own decisions about what to watch," a Netflix Korea official said.
Recent controversies have raised the need for content creators to consider how to deal with culturally sensitive topics.
"The real problem here is the lack of respect for the country and its people. 'Narco-Saints' is inspired by a true story, so the storyline that involves gang activity and drug dealing in Suriname make sense. However, it leaves me wondering whether it was necessary to put the country's name as the (Korean) title of the show and whether the production company would have done the same thing if it had been set in a country with higher national stature," Yun Seok-jin, a drama critic and professor of Korean Language and Literature at Chungnam National University, said.
"As for 'Little Women,' it's a shame that the screenwriter didn't take into full account when depicting the Vietnam War, an epic tragedy. Those scenes weren't really necessary," Yun added.
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| A scene from Netflix's "Narco-Saints," titled "Suriname" in Korean / Courtesy of Netflix |
Pop culture critic Jung Duk-hyun said the ignorance and insensitivity of the production companies are to be blamed.
"I don't think producers aired those problematic scenes intentionally to mock or disrespect the affected countries. For instance, Vietnamese are heavy consumers of Korean cultural content and K-dramas are highly popular there. Content creators were probably unaware of the backlash that may arise. However, that doesn't justify their mistakes. They should learn from this incident and increase awareness," he said.
Jung added that discussion of racial awareness and good representation is crucial considering Korea's recent rise as a cultural superpower.
"The TV and film industries need to hire a cross-checker or a gatekeeper from the early stages of production so as to minimize unintended errors regarding misrepresentation and racial stereotypes," he said.
Yun said that in the streaming era, content creators should be more culturally aware.
"However, it is unnecessary to consult with or ask for understanding from an affected country in advance because we need to respect their creative freedom," he added.
"At the moment, we don't have a plan on hiring an expert who can make sure our shows don't raise any cultural red flags. We already crosscheck with many departments and do a considerable amount of background research when making a drama. However, we will place more caution in societal and cultural sensitivity issues in future content production," a Studio Dragon official said.
"We're very thoughtful about what we commission, and work with expert third parties to get advice on important, sensitive issues," a Netflix Korea official said.
