I still don’t know why viewers enjoy watching SBS drama Penthouse which has been the biggest hit on South Korean television in years and is now on season 3. It just feels like a star-studded makjang-ier version of hit cable drama Sky Castle, rich people in-fighting with a sprinkling of death and tsunamis of betrayal. With that said, my perplexation has now turned to annoyance with the latest “twist” on the episode that aired this Friday and it’s causing netizen chatter as well. K-actor Park Eun Seok got his big break on this drama playing Logan Lee and was killed at the end of season 2. Lee Ji Ah was killed off at the end of season 1 and came back in season 2 as the twin sister who then ended up being the original character masquerading as the twin sister. Now Park Eun Seok’s back on the show as the twin brother of Logan Lee and not just a normal looking person but a South Korean cosplaying a hardcore rapper with Rastafarian dreads. It’s so offensive in EVERY SINGLE WAY, from recycling the twin resurrection plot to making the character into this persona and styling. This character even has a black person as one of his bodyguards AHHHHHHH KOALA SMASH SO HARD ALL THIS CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AND RACIAL STEREOTYPING. I’m glad K-netizens hate this so much and also find it offensive and treating them like they are morons to dish this plot out.
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I watched the first half of the first season. Despite loving watching the acting of the cast (er not all mind you), that of Kim Soyeon and Uhm Kijoom especially. What I realized was that, the characters doesnt make sense to me. Their little bubble of uber rich goals, attitudes, principles is stratosphere-like insane and un-rootable. I feel like, all the roads they are taking are the direction of unhappiness, anger, and destruction.
Its makjang-est makjang that ever makjang…
Hahahahahaha! That last sentence sums it up completely! Will stay far away from this drama…
The racial insensitivity and cringe factor are through the roof….
Just WRONG
what have the writer been smoking?
hm.
So far I’m not liking this season’s Penthouse. Not a fan of PES new character. The faster he gets rid of the dreadlocks the better.
I haven’t watched a single episode of Penthouse. Just lose the dreadlocks and the black bodyguards, keep the tatts and he’ll be fine lol.
We are 2 @eleven .
it’s ridiculous, he looks more like a creature from Star Trek universe . Pathetic . But they did the same with the guy in Backstreet rookie .
I enjoyed S1 and S2, it was a wild ride once you get into it.
It is over-the-top, but evilness is mostly toned down by black comedy style. S3 promised to be bigger and badder, so I’m not surprised it is turning into a farce.
I don’t have high hopes for S3, no dramas or movies or books has ever benefitted from overdrawn extensions. But since I am already ‘attached’ to the characters, I am just watching to see how this plays out.
Why lose the black bodyguard, is it a crime for blacks to be bodyguards? If the black dude is good at the job then by all means keep him.
The dreadlocks on the other hand has the go, unless the writer intended the character to be a hard core Bob Marley or lil’ Wayne fan, other than that, nothing else makes sense.
If they wanted to give the rapper character a more razz, cool look, why not give him Tiger JK’s long hair and style. The dreads just look, I don’t know.
Question: is it common to find Asians who go around looking like that? If that’s not a trend, why use it at all?
Also, what’s up with the spiderweb-on-the-neck tattoo?
SMH.
I think it’s about how if the only black characters you have in your art only ever appear in your art when they’re guards, goons, gangsters, goofs, any other stereotypical black role overused in the entertainment industry, or one dimensional side characters that exist solely as accessories to the scene, you are telling me something-subconsciously or otherwise-about how you view blackness and the people possessing black bodies around the world.
Alright
I don’t watch the series and the outfit comes across as ridiculous. But I don’t get the fuss about the black bodyguard. If you are a lost twin brother that maybe grew up in Jamaica and came to love the rastafari look, it is normal that you would have black Jamaican people in your team when you go to Korea. There are far more unbelievable plots in Kdramas, for God’s sake…this might be ridiculous and stupid, but not necessarily racist.
So many people on the internet these days are eager to use the words racism and cultural appropiation, because they are a trend and they make you look morally superior. But it turns out when you use a word for everything, even when it is not applicable, it loses the meaning and makes the speaker look as if they are craving for attention and not thinking much, rather trying to ride the wave. Just think for yourselves and don’t repeat thoughtlessly what you hear out there: the internet gives a voice to everyone, the more emotional the louder, but not necessarily the more intelligent…
As a Jamaican, let me te you something. Your entire state is a FAAAR reach and that’s because you know nothing of Jamaican culture and the predominantly Chinese Jamaicans that live there. They do not walk around disrespecting Rastafarians nor to they have goons of black Jamaicans at their tow. Asian population in Jamaican does not emulate the culture to this racist extreme that they are portraying. It’s is 2021; google is free, they are not stupid and they should understand that their portrayal of black people is dehumanizing, disrespectful and overused. They be the first to cry help when someone is rude or racist against them but the black people that they are using to push a stereotypical agenda, those people and the people watching the show shouldn’t be mad? You sound ridiculous and brainwashed
Couldn’t agree more!
Wow…you just proved Elena’s point. Implying she knows nothing and assuming the morally superior position
On top of that, her point is that this portrayal is not racist…I believe you completely misunderstood her point. Google is free but that doesn’t mean we are obliged to bandwagon with the loudest opinion…doesn’t that make you less understanding? It’s not dehumanizing just because a lot of internet users say it is; it’s up to individuals to assume their own moral compass.
The Last Empress was still okaaaaay. It starred actual mini-series leads, and Kim Soon-ok couldn’t really make Jang Nara do extreme makjang because of that, the makjang was all dumped on Lee Elijah. After Return and TLE’s success, Penthouse is just about Kim Soon-ok and she can make the cast do anything. Perhaps that’s why she’s going crazy with the script.
On a certain web-site, a South Korean article was translated into English as follow :
“viewers criticize the premiere for its illogical plot and are left feeling underwhelmed.”
Writer Kim Soon Ok commented,’I admit that my lack of logic caused this. I am ashamed and grateful for the audience who defended me.’
Apart from being offensive, I find this type of person also really annoying in real life. People that act as if they are black. Examples include Kris Wu, Jay Park and G-Dragon.
Ew ew ew ewwwwwwwwww. This trainwreck should have ended at Season 2. But SBS got even greedier. Cos when will they score another monster hit like this again? They didn’t just rip off Sky Castle but Return and other dramas as well. They really need to quit this shit. If they’re not offensively portraying or appropriating other cultures in dramas, then they’re mocking LGBTQ+ people. After the BR backlash and they still went and did this? Just shows they don’t care.
And that Park Eun Seok, for someone who grew up abroad, he knew this was offensive. But since he’ll never hit another jackpot like Penthouse, he’s rolling with it. What an asshole.
Park Eun Seok is an asshole! He should know the damage/severity of it. He grew up in Long Island!!! Like come on?! He’s such a clout chaser. And the fact that the cast is doing a Stop Racism campaign too lmao. People like him gross me out, go AWAY!!!
Also SBS, is a messy station. Seriously, between this and Backstreet R00kie?! Also they need to stop dressing in Arab disguises too!! Looking at you: Fiery Priest/Good Casting!! SBS is an offensive station!!
And the way they put that black bodyguard in there as if to say, “See? We put a black person in the drama so we’re not racist. And if that black person is not offended with the character and agreed to play his bodyguard, then it’s not racist or offensive.” They pulled the same trick in Backshit Rookie with the Nigerian man who co-signed the offensive rasta dude.
Other networks are also guilty as sin for these offenses where they clearly knew better but did it anyway but SCREW SBS!
Wow, it’s sad that you are calling him names while he is just a mere actor playing his role! If you have anything to say, target the writer not PES. How is this his fault? Neither he wrote nor produced the show!
It is unfortunate that the internet gives people the chance to say anything and everything behind the keyboard.
Yes, it’s unfortunate that the internet gives people the chance to say anything and everything behind the keyboard. Just like it’s given you the chance to come under a comment that has nothing to do with you (unless you’re the actor roaming this blog) and rave nonsense like a lunatic. Now GTFO of my comment.
I read a bullshit apology statement he wrote where he’s like they’re appreciating the culture blah blah blah nonsense. An asshole, indeed. Same lame excuses SBS gave for Batshit Rookie. If it was the other way round and a foreign production appropriated and mocked K-culture the way they do to others, you’d see how animated they would get.
I still don’t know why people like you still give shitty opinions online. Maybe because like 2-3 people who agree with you? LOL get a grip on reality, just because you don’t enjoy doesn’t mean others cant?
Plenty of black friends who watch penthouse and they don’t find this offensive, but hilarious. yet ofc all white/asian people are super offended for them.
Do you guys have nothing better to do than be a buncha Karens online?
Of course you don’t.
I don’t know,dude. Something about the tone of your comment tells me that you probably don’t have many friends at all. I’d actually wager that you might have none at all. I know that’s mean,but what’s probably meaner is you coming on the internet all fired up calling everyone Karens, when it’s just that some of us paid more attention than others in our media and representation classes, or just had an iota of empathy and managed to dedicate some time to reading a book every now and again.
THANK YOU!
Yet here you are also giving a shitty opinion online. You have no friends, dipshit. Who do you think you’re fooling? And using the ‘I have a black cat so I can comment on this and insult people for being offended’ yarn? And assuming everyone here is white/Asian like you? Looks like YOU’VE got nothing better to do but be a Dick online. Jackass.