Over 30 major professors and scholars of Korean studies have gathered to submit a formal petition to the president of Disney Plus Asia-Pacific regarding historical concerns over the JTBC drama, 'Snowdrop'.
Jointly composed by professors of Korean studies from institutions like Ewha Womans University, Pusan National University, The George Washington University, and more, as well as Ph.D candidates from Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Toronto, etc, the petition addresses two major historical concerns within the drama 'Snowdrop'.
The petition began by stating,
"We are not writing to request that you stop streaming the show. Rather, we write to request that your company seek experts.. to carefully examine the historical references made in the show, and consider for yourselves the way those historical references are used. We make this request because we do not believe that Disney Plus as a global platform is aware of the historical and socio-political context in which this show exists, and we believe that platforms should make an informed decision when globally broadcasting a show set in recent, still-relevant Korean history (1987)."
The petitioners' first concern addressed the reference to the real-life historical figure Cheon Young Cho in modeling the the female lead character, an issue which previously made major headlines even prior to the drama's premiere. The petition also went on to discuss potential references to Cheon Young Cho's husband, Jeong Mun Hwa, another democracy movement activist.
The second concern addressed the character Eun Chang Su (played by Heo Jun Ho), father of the female lead Eun Young Ro (played by BLACKPINK's Jisoo). The petitioners pointed out that the character Eun Chang Su may have been modeled after another historical figure, "military officer Park Jun-byeong, who commanded the 20th Infantry Division into Gwangju in May, 1980, and led them to commit one of the worst massacres of civilians in modern Korean history."
Currently, JTBC's 'Snowdrop' is available via Disney Plus for users in the Asia-Pacific region.
(The link to the full petition, composed in English, can be found below.)
As consumers of korean content, we the audience, should respect the culture and history of the korean people who suffered and went through these horrors in order to bring forth democracy for their country.
If this drama is causing so much controversy and continues to be problematic we should respect their thoughts and opinions no matter who stars in the drama. This is not just korean netizens who are coming forward to "hate" on this drama, these are educated people many of who have lived through this time period.
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