BLACKPINK Jisoo's character name will change in 'Snowdrop': 'Got nothing to do with activist Chun Young-cho'
JTBC on Tuesday, March 30, announced that they will change the name of the character that would be portrayed by BLACKPINK's Jisoo in the show. She was initially set to play Eun Young-cho, a young nurse who believes that the man who had entered her dormitory is just a student who took part in a protest for democracy.
Her name, many Korean netizens (K-nets) felt, was very similar to that of democracy activist Chun Young-cho. This in the combination with the plot of the show that has been revealed so far resulted in many calling for the show to be cancelled as it would misrepresent Korean history to international fans. This came right after SBS announced cancellation of 'Joseon Exorcist' which also received criticism for distorting Korean history.
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So JTBC released a statement which said according to Soompi, "The character name is not related to the democracy activist Chun Young-cho. However, since some pointed out it reminds them of Chun, we'll change the name." The statement further expressed that the drama's protagonists do not participate in or lead protests in the script. Adding further details, they also revealed that the central plotline of the show is set during the political climate leading up to the 1987 presidential elections.
The synopsis of the show reads, "The story begins when a young man Lim Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in) covered in blood breaks into a dormitory at a women's university. A young nursing student Eun Young-cho (BLACKPINK's Jisoo) takes in the injured man and hides him from authorities, believing that he is a student protester. The two fall in love, but as the story progresses, the woman finds out that the man is a trained spy from the 'motherland'. The spy is then ordered to kill the woman who hid him from authorities."
The fact that actor Jung Hae-in's character Lim Soo-ho is initially believed to be a student protestor combined with Jisoo's character's name is what led to netizen's anger and JTBC hopes that they can continue to work on the project now that the confusion has been clarified.
The detailed statement read, "We are stating our position once more on the controversy surrounding the drama 'Snowdrop'. We are sharing a statement again to resolve the misunderstandings stemming from the speculations and criticisms that continue to be made after our statement regarding 'Snowdrop'. The current controversy has resulted from fragmentary information that is a combination of an incomplete synopsis and parts from the character descriptions. These fragments of information are being combined with speculations, making false information appear to be true."
Then JTBC expressed, "Of course, this is the production team’s fault for not being careful while managing unrefined data. We would like to reveal some parts of the plot of 'Snowdrop' to help with your understanding. 1. Regarding the controversy that the drama disparages the pro-democracy movement, 'Snowdrop' is not a drama that deals with the pro-democracy movement. In the script, there are is not a single part where the male and female protagonists participate in or lead the pro-democracy movement. On the contrary, there is a character that is unfairly oppressed because they were accused of being a North Korean spy by the military regime of the 1980s."
In a point by point response, they further added, "The background and the motif behind the main events in 'Snowdrop' is the political situation surrounding the 1987 presidential elections, not the pro-democracy movement. The drama portrays a fictional story about the military regime, the NSP, and others in power at the time colluding with the North Korean dictatorship and planning a conspiracy to retain their power."
So far, the show is more in the lines of Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin's Crash Landing on You'. Further revelations about the plot was also made: "In this setting, a North Korean spy and an agent of the NSP who is chasing the spy appear as the main characters. They are not characters who represent their respective government and organization. They are characters who highlight a critical viewpoint on the NSP, which actively supports a corrupt desire for power to become the ruling party. Therefore, the concern that the drama glamorizes being a spy or working for the NSP is not relevant to 'Snowdrop'."
The statement went on to explain the reason the NSP agent was termed straightforward and wrote, "The reason we described the NSP agent as 'straightforward and just' is because he is a secret agent who turns down the chance to be appointed to a powerful position in his country and instead works overseas after he is disheartened to see his colleagues “creating” spies instead of “catching” them. He is also portrayed as a man of principle who turns his back on the corrupt organization and does what he thinks is right."
The statement concluded, "from this moment on, based on the information above, we ask you to refrain from misleading the public opinion by framing false information about a drama that has yet to air as if they are facts. Please recognize that this behavior discourages and causes serious harm to the many creators who are trying to create a good production."