Korean television series ‘Joseon Exorcist’ made a lot of splash with its debut. For those unaware, the show is the latest from SBS, It is a historical zombie drama starring Jang Dong Yoon. However, it has also been embroiled in a controversy after another since its premiere.
If the reports are to be believed the show is all set to be canned. That is right! After just two episodes in the air, the makers are pulling off the plug from this show.
The show opened to a good, positive premiere. However, it also received intense criticism for “historical distortions”. As per reports, this backlash for Joseon Exorcist was for showing historical figures from the Royal Lee Clan of Joseon (who ruled Korea for over 500 years) massacring their own people. There was also criticism for using Chinese products in the show.
It is worth pointing out that at this point in time, the relationship between South Korea and China are estranged. There are also engaged in a controversy on the origin of certain cultural icons from Korea such as Kimchi, Hanbok and Pansori.
These products are largely the pride of Korean culture and history and China is trying to stake ownership of all these products.
However, the bigger issue has been the way the royal family has been portrayed. It is said that someone from the royal family called out SBS, the production house of Joseon Exorcist on March 24, 2021. In this call, they demanded the cancellation of the drama indefinitely.
Following this, the show was cancelled from March 26.
It is indeed sad that the show that opened to a strong rating had to be shut down so soon. While the makers insisted that it was a fictional show, they should not have used the names of the royal family or hurt the sentiments of the people in a major way. While one understands it is a zombie drama but playing with the history or feelings of people could be costly and this show is paying the price for the same. We hope something great replaces it real soon.
