'Snowdrop': Stocks, viewership ratings increase after court rules in favor of K-drama
It looks like the tide might finally be turning for the controversial K-drama ‘Snowdrop,’ which has faced cancel petitions and protests since before its premiere. Starring Blackpink’s Jisoo and Jung Hae-in, the drama is set during the '80s uprising for South Korea’s democracy. Several South Korean netizens condemned the show for allegedly distorting facts with families of victims sharing that the show was like a ‘second assault’. However, with the airing of the new episodes, the production’s stocks and TV viewership ratings have increased.
More than 300k citizens had initially signed a petition addressed to the Blue House (South Korea’s presidential office), along with two lawsuits to cancel ‘Snowdrop’ and shut down its channel, JTBC. In March 2021, when the first cancel petition cropped up, the Blue House reviewed the drama and gave it the green light to premiere. On December 29, once again, ‘Snowdrop’s case was taken up by the Civil Settlement Division of Seoul’s court and rejected the appeal to cancel the drama.
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The court rules in favor of ‘Snowdrop’
With the backing of the Blue House and the Seoul Western District Court, viewers are giving ‘Snowdrop’ a second chance. The drama had originally come under fire for supposedly glorifying the NSA that was allegedly unleashed terror in real life. Many claimed that the show's characters also took inspiration from real-life activists and martyrs, which they found insensitive. They also shared that it justified the then rulers’ claims that the uprising was orchestrated by North Korea.
However, many of the plot elements that caused misunderstandings, seem to be all red herrings for the main couple to meet in the drama. Blackpink Jisoo’s character Young-ro, a student falls for her would-be captor, the North Korean spy Su-ho played by Jung Hae-in. Having established the setting which caused the uproar, the drama is once again going back to its main plot, which is a melodrama about star-crossed or forbidden love. However, a staff member has shared that those who have a problem with the way the NSA is portrayed will continue to disapprove as ‘Snowdrop’s aim was to show them as ‘ordinary people’. The main focus is on the love story between Young-ro and Su-ho and the plot reprimands those in power who use the weak.
Viewership and stock prices increase
The court further explained that due to the uproar caused by the alleged distorting of facts, the viewers would no longer blindly accept the drama as reality and consider it as a work of fiction any which way. They also added, “It is difficult to see that the creditors' [those affected] personal rights are infringed by the broadcasting of the drama.” JTBC too has decided to take strict legal action against those who continue to criticize the drama over falsehoods and unfound allegations. At the same time, ‘Snowdrop’s’ production has seen a rise of 15% of their stock prices. Additionally, the viewership ratings are gradually increasing as numbers for the latest episode — Episode 7 — stood at 3%.
Episode 8 will air on JTBC and Disney+ on January 8 at 10:30 pm KST (8:30 am ET).
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