Controversial K-dramas of 2022: ‘Twenty Five Twenty One,’ ‘Little Women,’ ‘Reborn Rich,’ More
Just like in 2021, several K-dramas launched this 2022 faced various criticisms and backlash.
From historical distortion, animal abuse, and not to mention viewers going vocal about the bad pairing of lead stars.
Interestingly, despite the controversy, these K-dramas were able to deliver great entertainment to viewers.
With that said, here are 5 K-dramas of 2022 that got involved in a major controversy.
'Twenty-Five Twenty-One'
Starring Kim Tae Ri and Nam Joo Hyuk, "Twenty-Five Twenty-One" depicts the story of young lovers who once again met after 10 years.
At the height of the drama and despite the soaring viewership in every episode, the rom-com series encountered criticisms regarding how they illustrate the relationship between a minor and an older guy.
In one of the episodes, Nam Joo Hyuk's character is a 23-year-old Baek Yi Jin who confessed his feelings to Na Hee Do, played by Kim Tae Ri, whose role is a minor student.
After airing the said episode, viewers were divided with some accusing the drama of normalizing a relationship between an adult man and a minor.
'Little Women'
Another blockbuster K-drama of 2022 is the novel-based series "Little Women."
Headlined by Kim Go Eun, Nam Ji Hyun, and Park Ji Hu, it follows the story of three siblings who get caught up in a war between Korea's influential family.
As for the tvN series, "Little Women" was accused of plagiarizing a poster of a cosmetic brand.
On social media, netizens posted a side-by-side comparison of the "Little Women" official poster and Shiseido's advertorial campaign that almost looked identical.
In a report, the officials of the drama responded by saying that "it's the making of the company in charge of [our] design after reviewing multiple works."
Moreover, the representative pointed out that they will "pay even more meticulous attention through in-depth pre-reviews."
'Reborn Rich'
One of the most anticipated K-dramas of 2022 is Song Joong Ki's return as the third-generation chaebol in "Reborn Rich."
However, amid the stunning cast lineup, viewers were not convinced by Song Joong Ki's loveline with her female lead, Shin Hyun Bin from "Hospital Playlist."
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To add, others pointed out that the drama should focus more on Jin Do Joon's revenge rather than his loveline with Seo Min Young.
'Thirty-Nine'
Like Song Joong, "Thirty-Nine" is Son ye Jin's comeback to the small screen, three years after the mega-hit "Crash Landing on You."
One of the interesting parts of the drama is her on-screen chemistry with co-stars Jeon Mi Do and Kim Ji Hyun.
However, "Thirty-Nine" was slapped with criticism after accusing them of romanticizing extramarital affairs.
It was through Jeon Mi Do and Lee Moo Saeng's characters with the latter being married and having a son.
'Rose Mansion'
Last on the list of controversial K-drama of 2022 is "Rose Mansion" starring Im Ji Yeon, Yoon Kyun Sang and more.
After airing the drama's fourth episode, the production staff apologized for illustrating a scene of an astray cat being abused. Due to the clamor of the audience, the team removed the scene and reworked the entire episode.
