Not every drama airs smoothly. Some of them undergo unfortunate things such as receiving backlash or falling into controversies.
Joseon Exorcist
We could say that this 2021’s drama, in which Jang Dong Yoon, Park Sung Hoon, and Kam Woo Sung starred, might be the most severely boycotted Korean drama in history.
To be criticized, to lose sponsorships, and to be pulled off the screen, all of it took only 5 days after it first aired.
The drama was normally planned to tell the fight of the royal family to protect people from the evil spirits who use human frailties to demolish Joseon.
However, just when there was a controversy between China and South Korea about the origin of Kimchi, Hanbok, and Pansori, Joseon Exorcist raised citizens’ concerns by using Chinese-style props and food on the set.
It also has been criticized for disrespecting Korean history by bringing real characters to the screen.
Although SBS and the production company apologized for causing a misunderstanding and discomfort to viewers during a sensitive time and removed the controversial portions from the first two episodes, this was not enough.
Over 216,000 people also petitioned the Blue House to cancel the show.
Due to the public backlash, corporate sponsors pulled their ads and cut their ties with the show and local governments also withdrew their support for the production.
Even though SBS announced that it would be taking a one-week break to revise the drama, just two days later they confirmed that the drama will not return to the air due to all backlashes and controversies.
After this announcement, international fans signed a petition to bring the drama to at least the online streaming platforms but it never happened.
