K-Dramas That Receive Criticisms from Global Viewers: ‘King the Land,’ ‘Narco-Saints,’ More

With the wider range of viewers and accessibility to Korean contents thanks to streaming platforms, a global audience has embraced watching K-dramas.

From historical to the good old rom-com and even revenge dramas, viewers fell in love with entertaining stories and characters.

Unfortunately, the Korean drama production industry has been facing controversies involving dramas that spark disappointment from fans.

Due to the undertones and racist stereotypes, several K-dramas received backlash from viewers.

'King the Land'

One of the recent Korean series that got embroiled in controversy is Lee Junho and YoonA's K-drama "King the Land."

Amid the skyrocketing popularity and ratings of the JTBC series, one episode sparked anger, especially among Arabs.

It was after Indian actor Anupam Tripathy, who also appeared in the Netflix series "Squid Game," played the role of a wealthy Arab prince named Samir in "King the Land" episode 7.

However, viewers find it offensive after the character is deemed an alcoholic and womanizer. 

In addition, the show was also criticized for casting a non-Arab actor for the character, which others find culturally insensitive.

'Narco-Saints'

The Netflix original series "Narco-Saints" garnered massive attention for showing the interesting story of Korean businessmen who chose to venture into the foreign land of "Suriname."

However, after airing the whole season, the government of Suriname criticized the K-drama for depicting their country in a negative light.

In a report, Surinamese foreign affairs minister Albert Ramdin, pointed out how the Netflix series gave their country a negative depiction, especially of their people and culture, by illustrating them as a drug trafficking hub.

Mowever, the foreign affairs minister also warned that they would take legal action against the producers of "Narco-Saints."

READ MORE: Controversial K-dramas of 2022: 'Twenty Five Twenty One,' 'Little Women,' 'Reborn Rich,' More 

Following the reaction from the Suriname government, Netflix released a statement addressing the issue. 

According to the streaming giant, they did not intend to insult or depict the country in a bad light.

"The stories on our service are not intended to be disrespectful or hurt the sentiments of any community or group," a Netflix Korea official said, adding, "However, the members may have different perspectives about what's acceptable on-screen and want to make their own decisions about what to watch."

'Little Women'

Another recent K-drama that faced backlash due to cultural depiction is "Little Women."

The novel-based series gained mixed reactions from viewers after airing one specific scene that included the Vietnam War.

The show was removed from Vietnam after showing a controversial scene where a Korean veteran talked about the killing ratio for Korean troops versus the Vietnamese.

Due to the alleged "discriminatory terms" used to describe Vietnamese soldiers, viewers found it offensive, causing the country to ban "Little Women" in the country. 

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Written by Geca Wills