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South Korea's royal Lee family calls for cancellation of Jang Dong Yoon's latest drama Joseon Exorcist
Joseon Exorcist is in a grey zone between cancelation and revision in light of the latest controversy.
Joseon Exorcist, SBS' latest historical zombie drama starring Jang Dong Yoon has been embroiled in controversy ever since its premiere. While ratings for the first week were quite strong, it appears that the majority of the population was quite displeased with the portrayal and distortion of history in the drama. The set and props for the first two episodes were heavily inspired by Chinese specific culture and especially considering the current ongoing controversy between China and South Korea, with China claiming the origin of Kimchi, Hanbok, Pansori (that are largely the pride of Korean culture and history) to have been in China, such use of props was highly disconcerting to the audiences.
As a matter of fact, it triggered the national sentiment so much that the show had to be canceled for a week in light of the controversy. However, it did not stop there. The Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association made up of the descendants of the royal Lee clan of Joseon, rulers of Korea for over 500 years, called out SBS, the production house of Joseon Exorcist on March 24, 2021 to demand the cancellation of the drama indefinitely. The Association stated, "We request the immediate cancellation of the drama 'Joseon Exorcist', which distorted Korean history and culture and showed favoritism toward China's Northeast History Project."
The Association pointed out that the drama took the names of historical figures King Taejong, Grand Prince Yangyeong, Prince Choongneyong (later King Sejong) and incorporated them into a falsely distorted narrative as a result of which, the entire nation has raised concerns over the negative light which has been cast on the royal family of Joseon. As K-Dramas and their reach have gone global, this negative portrayal could be incredibly damaging.
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Do you think this reaction of K-Netizens towards Joseon Exorcist is justified? Share your thoughts with Pinkvilla in the comments section down below!
