Controversial Korean drama “Joseon Exorcist” is facing 5,000 complaints despite that it was cancelled due to history distortion and use of Chinese props.
This was revealed by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), the government agency in-charge of regulating broadcast and internet content.
The airing of “Joseon Exorcist” was cancelled after only two episodes as Koreans accused it of distorting Korean history and using Chinese props. Korea and China have been in dispute over claims on the origin of kimchi and hanbok.
During an online meeting by the KCSC on March 31, Secretary General Min Kyeong-joong revealed that there are many complaints about TV programs because of history distortion, violence and cruel scenes, Korean media reported.
However, the KCSC is unable to deliberate as the National Assembly, Korea’s legislative branch, is sitting on the appointment of committee members, delaying the work of the agency.
Min Kyeong-joong said as of March 29, a total of 5,149 complaints have been filed against “Joseon Exorcist,” 533 complaints against “The Penthouse 2,” 10 complaints against Song Joong-ki’s “Vincenzo” and five against “Mouse.”
“The two episodes of ‘Joseon Exorcist’ will be deliberated regardless of whether the airing is cancelled or not. The TV channel will be notified on the results of the deliberation,” he said.
“Joseon Exorcist” premiered in Korea on March 22 but TV channel SBS decided to cancel it after the second episode following severe criticisms from viewers.
The stars of the drama Jang Dong-yoon, Park Sung-hoon and Kam Woo-sung, the director, producer and the scriptwriter all apologized for the controversy.
Last March 26, TV channel SBS announced the cancellation of the fictional drama about a royal family fighting evil spirits.
SBS said that "in recognition of the seriousness of the situation, we decided to terminate the contract to purchase the broadcasting rights for ‘Joseon Exorcist’ and cancel the airing.” SBS also deleted the page and contents related to "Joseon Exorcist.”
The first episode drew heavy flak for showing King Taejong, played by Kwam Woo-sung, massacring his own people. The episode also showed Prince Chungnyung, played by Jang Dong-yoon, visiting a tavern and drinking Chinese liquor and eating Chinese food including dumplings, century egg and mooncakes, Yonhap News reported.
As a result, about 20 companies withdrew their advertisements in the drama including Samsung and LG Household and Health Care due to the controversy.
By the time the drama was cancelled, 196,837 Koreans had signed a petition on the website of the Office of President Moon Jae-in to stop the airing of “Joseon Exorcist.” The petition, which will end on April 23, has so far collected 223,493 signatures.
Under the rules, if a petition reaches 200,000 signatures in 30 days, heads of the government and the Blue House (Office of the President) are mandated to provide a reply.
International fans, on the other hand, have also started their own petition to air “Joseon Exorcist” on Netflix. As of writing, the petition has garnered more than 31,000 signatures.
When the drama was cancelled, the production company in-charge already filmed 80 percent of the TV series.