South Korean drama Snowdrop to be aired on Disney Plus Hotstar from today amid controversy

The much talked about South Korean TV drama Snowdrop is all set to be aired on Disney Plus Hotstar from today, 9 February. The political drama features Blackpink’s Jisoo and Jung Hae-in in pivotal roles. This series has already been aired on the South Korean network, Joongang Tongyang Broadcasting Company (JTBC), where it received modest ratings amid all the controversy and backlash so far.

Before being aired in South Korea, the makers of Snowdrop were in trouble over its storyline as the show was criticized for being insensitive towards the country’s history.

Synopsis of Snowdrop:

This drama is set in the backdrop of 1987, when citizens of South Korea protested against the country’s authoritarian government and sought democratic rule. It was a crucial time in South Korean history.

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This TV series revolves around the love story of Jung Hae-in and Jisoo amid the chaotic political situation of that time. Jung is seen playing a North Korean spy while Jisoo portrays a college student. The story further highlights how Jisoo, who discovers Jung in a bloodied condition, hides him from  government officials and concerned authorities.

Watch the trailer here:

After the show premiered and grabbed all the attention in the country, a petition was filed on the website of the Blue House demanding its cancellation. For the unversed, the Blue House, is the official residence and an executive office of South Korea’s head of state.

As per the petition, it alleged that the new Korean drama defames the value and reputation of the movement. Also, there were more than 3,00,000 signatures on the petition, as per news reports.

Reports further suggest that a civic group named the Declaration of Global Citizens had filed for an injunction against JTBC in Korea. This order was filed on 22 December last year to stop the  series from being aired. But the Seoul Western District later dismissed the injunction. Following this, the JTBC released a clear statement regarding the ‘background and motif’ for all important incidents taking place in the drama.

“With this background, it contains a fictional story of the party in power colluding with the North Korean government in order to maintain authority,” the statement read. Further in the official notice, JTBC stated that Snowdrop is only a creative work by the team who have shown the personal stories of people who were victimized by those in power during that time.

By the end of the statement, the Broadcasting Company mentioned that no spy in the series led the democratisation movement. They also cleared the air by adding that the misunderstandings among viewers would be settled as the show progresses with time.  According to reports, JTBC currently stands firm on their storyline.