Categories: K-dramas

Newly Premiered jTBC Period Romance Drama Snowdrop Brings in 2.985%, 3.845% Ratings for First Two Episodes as Controversy Rages Over Distortion of History

I get the request from the production of jTBC drama Snowdrop to have viewers wait and watch the actual drama before demanding it be cancelled and accusing it of distorting important South Korea history. That’s a reasonable request. But now the viewers have watched the first two episodes and the renewed calls to cancel this drama because it is in fact highly problematic with the set up alone is hard to just brush under the rug. The pre-airing accusation was that male lead Jung Hae In was a college student dreamboat but secretly a real North Korean spy in South Korea. The SK military government in the 1980’s used the excuse that student activists fighting for democratization were NK spies in order to arrest, torture, imprison, and even murder innocent young adults. The distortion of history allegations also include using Jisoo‘s female lead an idealistic college student in a romance with a NK spy, and that Jang Seung Jo‘s government agent character is given rationale to explain his working for the government to arrest college students as a whitewashing of the government misconduct during that era. The ratings came out late for this drama as Neilson was reportedly doing maintenance work so couldn’t release ratings and the timing is a bit suss but the ratings are out now and it’s 2.985%, 3.845% AGB nationwide. Nothing to write home about for how high profile and big budget this drama is and one wonders if some viewers tuned in just to find fault with it.

ockoala

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  • Not sure if its high profile or just on controversy. Lost and Inspector Koo were more high profile and big budget. I'm sure Snowdrop is big budget too but most of the money must have gone into production not salary because the sets are done nicely. The ratings are not bad but at this point its hard to say why the ratings went up so episode 3 and 4 will be the deciding factor. Shutting my mind off from the obvious revisionism of history that the drama is actively doing its aesthetic and easy on the eyes. JS is good as the bright young student and roommate but there's no spark between the leads as yet. JHI is chiseled and handsome but his NK accent isn't even half as good as HB and the other soldiers in CLOY. What does annoy me is that while the dorms are pretty and everything it has the weird vibe Hogwarts. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching a Korean adaptation of HP minus the magic.

  • The drama has good settings but it actually kinda boring. Too long and the acting is bland, like I can see the director help with it. They have the lighting makes it looks melancholy, the ost that sound dated yet trendy, the unbelievable fancy 1980's South Korean.

    Then the controversy is just out of hand, they should read their history, the sentiment at the time and they've got people warn them. Why they didn't just released all episode in one week so people can see if they plot is as the same but then the male lead shouldn't even be related to being a spy in any way, it's a Romance drama

  • Back ehen the script first leaked, JTBC said that they would fix the issues, and now it turns out that they didn't. This could affect both JTBC's reputation and Jisoo's career, which would be a real shame.

  • I don't know the budgets for any of them, but IMO Snowdrop was more high profile. Even withstanding the controversy, there were a lot of eyes on this as it was Sky Castle's writer's follow up. Because of that, I think some really believed it was going to turn jtbc around.

  • Park joung cheol the victims who is seen as martyr has spoken against the drama. They shouldn't have romanticized north korean spy, when so many students were tortured by nsa and got framed as nk spies. They r alive and has life long injuries, trauma. Jisoos charcter name is nearly same as one victim who was tortured and became disabled. You can't distort history. Imagine someone start glorifying the british empire's atrocities in our movies? We will be equally offended too. The backlash is deserved

    • stfu you stan plastic and untalented lee minho. we don't need your opinion. threatened that jisoo is the real hallyu and global star, the future of kdramas unlike lmh who is falling out of relevancy as each year passes.

      • Says the fan of plastic idol of prostitution drugist company lmao. Lmh is busy with his 100 billion won drama. Your fave acting career is doomed and when bp is over, ur fave will b finished like 2ne1. Lmh will exist when ur fave will be finished. Worry abput bp releasing any new song bcoz they cant write a lyric. Ur fave drama is flop in rating. Hallyu qeen lmaoo. Flop queen

    • jisoo is rumored for a solo debut next year, nice try. anyways no one gives af about that 100 billion drama when he's one again playing the same type of character he always plays rofl. old man's been acting forever and still getting criticized for his acting and safe drama choices, worry about that. so-called hallyu king about to be replaced on the global scale by newly debuted actress kim jisoo, and we all cheered.

  • jisoo and entire cast are doing amazing in their roles. cinematography is great too. excited for upcoming episodes. funny how snowdrop still got good ratings despite all the online backlash. and we smiled.

    • It's getting 2-3 % thanks to the controversial publicity...if it was no controversy to begin with..it will get 0 at it best ...but it's ruining all the cast careers in sk anyways lol

  • This Drama is fiction and NOT documentary. I will never get, why people are upset. Don‘t watch it. period. There were always fiction Story’s (books, movies, series…) about World War I + II, civil war… Some pur fiction, some only parts. When I want to know, what happend, there are a lot, lot History Books.
    Charlie Chaplin did a Hitler Satire. Many people loved it, I don’t. I will never get, what there is funny about, but I don’t need to watch it. The drama North & South about the civil war had a lot of real facts, but the story is fiction and they romanticized one of the most horrible happenings in US history. Many people loved the books and the series.

    • Well, Hitler did not find it funny too, who knows why, maybe you can tell us since you share the opinion....lol It's not about history, it's about repeating on the show dictatorship and right wing propaganda and fake news about the people they tortured, persecuted and killed. It's quite simple to understand really the reason a lot of people are mad and disgusted.

  • Considering SD is a high profile high budget drama, 2-3% rating is mediocre at best. JTBC shut down online platform, thus one would expect the rating should be higher. Imagine had JTBC allowed online streaming, the rating would hVe been lower

    Other dramas premiered and aired around the same time as SD such as Bulgasal and Bad and Crazy received much higher ratings. Did the low ratings have anything to do with dozens of sponsors pulling out, in addition to the petition?

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