Snowdrop saw high ratings despite the ongoing backlash it faces.
On December 18, JTBC officially aired the highly-anticipated drama featuring Jung Hae In and BLACKPINK Jisoo. It immediately ranked 11th on the Top 20 ratings for full-length programs with a 2.344 percent rating. Its episode 2 did not disappoint as it beat episode 1's record by garnering 3.195 percent.
But amid the milestones, Snowdrop started facing allegations and backlash for its alleged historical distortion.
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Snowdrop Fails To Impress Koreans
The series tells the story of a young university student (Jisoo) and a North Korean spy (Jung Hae In), which the BLACKPINK member's character mistakes for a pro-democracy activist.
The first two episodes shared a glimpse of what happened in the series that is set in 1987. However, the drama also triggered a massive backlash online. Unfortunately, its stint might be cut short soon as a petition to stop broadcasting the series already collected over 200,000 signatures on Sunday.
The petitioner, who posted it on the National Petition board on the website of the office of Korean President Moon Jae-in, said that the two scenes demoralized "the value of the democratization movement" in South Korea. The first scene in question was when Jisoo's character thought the male lead was a pro-democracy activist before saving his life.
"During the pro-democracy movement, there were clearly victims, such as activists, who were tortured and killed for being spies," the petitioner explained.
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Meanwhile, the group The Declaration of Global Citizen in Korea will reportedly file the court injunction on December 22. This aims to ban the airing of the series through the Seoul Western District Court.
The organization added that the ANSP is beautified in the series, causing more people to support their cause.
"This is a clear insult to those who have been fighting military dictatorship, and it is a very dangerous act that can give a signal to the current military dictatorship countries that their state violence may also be glorified over time," the group said.
Snowdrop Not The First Drama To Face Similar Petition
Before Snowdrop, unfortunately, lost people's approval, another K-drama faced a similar issue earlier this year.
In March, SBS canceled its Korean drama Joseon Exorcist after airing two episodes. At that time, the viewers complained of a history distortion, as well, and the use of Chinese Props.
More than 200,000 Koreans agreed to stop its airing, igniting the 5,000 complaints that were filed against the drama.
JTBC has not responded to Snowdrop's controversy yet.
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Check back for more stories, updates, and rumors about Snowdrop here at EpicStream!