With the popularity of K-content, issues such as insensitivity to other cultures have emerged as a stumbling block to the spread of the Hallyu Wave. After the South American government of Suriname officially protested that the drama 'Narco-Saints (Suriname)' portrayed its country as a hotbed of drugs and corruption, 'Little Women' was also embroiled in a controversy that it distorted the history of the Vietnam War and was expelled from service in the country. The K-contents industry, which is growing thanks to its worldwide popularity exponentially, is in a difficult situation where it is criticized for tending to demean other countries' histories or identities without considering or respecting them. It is pointed out that the K-contents industry needs to increase its understanding and sensitivity to other cultures, as this behavior can be viewed as cultural imperialism, lead to feelings of anti-Korean sentiment, and even to diplomatic conflicts.

'Little Women,' which was the #1 show on Netflix in Vietnam from October 1 to 5,  suddenly disappeared from the platform at 3 PM (local time) on October 6. According to Netflix and the drama production company Studio Dragon, the local broadcast of 'Little Women' was suspended at the written request of the Vietnam Broadcasting and Electronic Information Service (ABEI). According to local media, such as VN Express, the Vietnamese government took issue with 'Little Women' portraying Korean soldiers as heroes of the Vietnam War, insulting the country, and distorting the history of the Vietnam War. 

Scenes where Yong Ki (Played by Kim Jeong Pal), who participated in the Vietnam War, said, "The Korean soldiers wiped out 20 Vietcong soldiers at once. One soldier single-handedly killed 10," and "Korean soldiers are the heroes of the Vietnam war."  Vietnamese netizens on social media shared captured photos of the drama scene with a red "X" across and wrote, "One Korean soldier killed 100 Viet Cong" and "Are you proud of that?" in Vietnamese and English.

The netizens demanded that the production team who insulted the Vietnamese people should apologize. Studio Dragon eventually apologized, saying, "We promise to carefully consider various socially and culturally sensitive topics in future media content." 

Experts have said that a careful approach is required when dealing with sensitive history in which the interests of various countries are intertwined, but the 'little women' have overlooked it. Gong Hee Jung, a drama critic, said, "'Little Women' negatively portrays a family who accumulated money and power in the war, but from the perspective of the Vietnamese viewers who are the citizens of the country involved in the war and who have suffered damage from it, it can be interpreted differently from the production intention and respond sensitively to every line. 

Riding the wind of cultural diversity, K-content has expanded its reach beyond Asia to North America and Europe with the movie 'Parasite,' the drama 'Squid Game,' and the group BTS. However, the level of understanding and consideration for third-world cultures such as Asia, Africa, and South America within K-contents was extremely fragmentary and one-sided, and it was often embroiled in controversies. 

Until recently, the use of the country 'Suriname' (Korean title for the drama 'Narco-Saints') as the title of the drama directly drew protests from the government as the country became offended that the drama portrayed the whole country as colluding with the drug industry. YG Entertainment also revised the music video after criticizing it in India for using the image of Ganesha, one of the Hindu gods, in the music video for BLACKPINK's "How You Like That."

Also, some dramas are pointed out as showing hostility toward other countries and riding on the hatred or prejudice of the public. In the Korean version of 'Money Heist,' which was released in June, the heroine Tokyo (Played by actress Jeon Jong Seo) says, "Because we're going to do something bad" as the reason she chose her name to be Tokyo. This line does not exist in the original drama. The Korean version was criticized for adding an inappropriate line out of the blue expressing anti-Japanese sentiment that "Japan does bad things." 'Racquet Boys,' which aired last year, also drew the anger of local viewers by portraying Indonesia, which hosts international badminton matches, as a country that uses tricks to win tournaments in its own country.

As such, there is a growing demand for K-content to become well-rounded in all aspects and become an example in which various cultures can coexist with its status as the world's mainstream culture. This is because the existing attitude of the production companies of K-contents can be seen as arrogance and can backlash returning as a negative factor for the Korean Wave. 

Sung Sang Min, a popular culture critic, said, "On the Netflix show 'Single's Inferno, the contestants repeatedly mentioned the phrase 'white skin', which was regarded overseas as being envious of white people, and a racism controversy arose. In a situation where K content is distributed all over the world, it should be reborn as content that considers people of various countries, including race and religion, rather than simply talking about the world market."