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'Snowdrop deserves better': Jisoo-starrer K-drama didn't distort history, says probe

The K-drama had come under fire for allegedly glorifying the NSA and downplaying the democratic movement of South Korea

‘Snowdrop’ was one of the most-talked-about K-drama since its inception. For Blackpink fans, they were excited as it was the first lead role for Jisoo. For K-drama lovers, the male lead was none other than melodrama favorite, Jung Hae-in. But after that, ’Snowdrop’ started turning heads for all the wrong reasons. There was an official petition and two lawsuits to cancel it and shut down the production, JTBC. One of the biggest problems that many had was that it was allegedly distorting history and was being insensitive to a lot of political issues.

‘Snowdrop’ is set during the democratic uprising in South Korea in the 1980s. The first two episodes caused quite an uproar as the viewers felt the drama was mocking an important political movement. Families of victims of the revolution claimed that the K-drama was like a ‘second assault’. Meanwhile, all of the brands that had sponsored the show wanted their products to be edited out. However, the Blue House (South Korean presidential office) and the court shared that they would let ‘Snowdrop’ continue to be broadcast.

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Investigation states that there is no distortion or glorification

We also had a lot of Blackpink fans defending the drama and wishing people would appreciate Jisoo’s first main role. However, it was marred with much controversy. But on March 31, a report of an investigation by Korea Communications Standards Commission was shared where they stated that ‘Snowdrop’ had not distorted history. They explained that there was no intention of glorifying the NSA (an alleged terror organization in real life) as the show portrayed a nonsensical and caricature image of its leaders and members.

KCSC also added that it was difficult to see whether ‘Snowdrop’ had undermined the value of the democratization movement. They explained that a lot of the questionable scenes like North Korean spies protecting human rights and using folk songs for a chase scene of the spy did not destroy the pride of the country and that the committee “agreed that it is difficult to deliberate whether any actual damage had been done.” They said that ‘Snowdrop’ was merely a piece of fiction and despite it not having much historical and public credibility it was difficult to take issue with it.

‘Victims of hate’

Fans who enjoyed the show were disappointed that people had ruined the experience. Many trended ‘Snowdrop deserves better’ as they made tweets like, “These are the victims of all the hate comments from baseless rumors. They worked so hard to produce this drama and they shouldn't have experienced all those negativity.” With no promotion out of fear of being blacklisted by the public, one fan posted, “What hurts the most is that haein and jisoo are the most wonderful pair together, we missed out on interviews, variety shows & so many promos because of untruthful controversies, they deserved so much better :(.”

Another fan said, “I will never forget how the casts promoted Snowdrop all by themselves by posting photos from Jisoo's Film Camera. They never got decent promotions, guestings and even post-drama interviews. It breaks my heart knowing how special Snowdrop is to everyone.” Another made a reaction meme with Comrade Joo’s actor Kim Minkyu on ‘Business Proposal’, “Me to jung haein, jisoo and to the whole snowdrop cast.” One fan added, “THE ONLY SNOWDROP PROMOTION: - Jisoo’s camera Jisoo treasures Snowdrop sm you can tell from her super excitement at the presscon. Tysm Haein for capturing this precious moment, my one and only fave photographer.” Another said, “You all deserve a big apology.”

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