Chronology Of Snowdrop Drama Criticized By South Korean Citizens

JAKARTA - The JTBC television channel officially aired the first episode of the Korean drama Snowdrop on Saturday, December 18, South Korea time. The drama, starring Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK's Jisoo, is highly anticipated by fans.

Along with the broadcast of Snowdrop, a controversy resurfaced because this drama allegedly distorted Korean history during the pro-democracy movement. Actually, this protest is not the first to come from the community.

Last March, the public asked JTBC for confirmation regarding the Snowdrop synopsis that had circulated on the internet. Netizens also got the use of a name similar to the name of the activists, namely Eun Young Cho who changed to Young Ro.

At that time, JTBC confirmed that Snowdrop would tell the story of the romance of Soo Ho (Jung Hae In) and Young Ro (Jisoo BLACKPINK). The story of the democratic movement and the presidential election in 1987 is only a background.

Airing two episodes, the drama Snowdrop is again petitioned on Monday, December 20. At least more than 267,000 people asked for this drama to be stopped.

Through the drama, the spy from North Korea is depicted as one of the demonstrators. In fact, the demonstrators were under pressure by being killed in the midst of the era of the democratic movement.

“Korea is a democracy, something that is earned through the hard work, pain, and sacrifice of many people. Due to the growing influence of Korean culture, it is time to reconsider historical distortions in the media," reads the petition in Cheon Wo Dae, according to the Korea Times.

In addition, Soo Ho's character is described as a spy who goes on the run. Young Ro who finds Soo Ho thinks he is an activist. This makes netizens worried if this drama romanticizes a spy.

Through one interview, Jung Hae In admitted that he only relied on the script without looking at historical facts. He reasoned because the incident took place in 1987 while he was born in 1988.

"I was born in 1988 so I didn't experience 1987. There are many dramas adapted from that time but the answer is in the script," said Jung Hae In.

A number of brands that appeared in two episodes of Snowdrop apologized and withdrew their sponsors. Although their product appeared in several scenes, South Korean netizens were disappointed with this form of support.

In addition, the petition to stop the drama Snowdrop also continues to be signed. JTBC explained that there is no spy character who is the main character in this drama. They hope the public can watch the upcoming episodes to find the answer.

Snowdrop tells Soo Ho who surprises the female dorm where Young Ro lives. Soo Ho arrives bleeding and Young Ro tries to hide Soo Ho from danger.

Besides the two, Snowdrop also stars Jang Seung Jo, Yoo In Na, Kim Hye Yoon, Yoon Se Ah, Jung Yoo Jin, and others. The drama can be seen on Disney+ every Friday and Saturday.