South Korean drama 'Joseon Exorcist' sparks controversy over portrayal of Chinese culture

South Korean fantasy-supernatural drama Joseon Exorcist has been embroiled in controversy because of the alleged distortion of historical facts on the show. The makers of the South Korean series, SBS stopped the reruns of the first two episodes that sparked controversy and edited the problematic scenes. The third episode too will be fixed before airing it. Here is everything you need to know about Joseon Exorcist's scandal. 

Joseon Exorcist's controversy 

According to a report by Han Cinema, the new South Korean drama has raised concern over its portrayal of Chinese culture amidst the current ongoing controversy between China and South Korea, with China claiming the origin of Kimchi, Hanbok, Pansori to have been in from their country, and use of Chinese props was highly disconcerting to the audiences. The series is set in the Joseon Dynasty, in which Taejong Yi Bang-won and the crown prince fight evil spirits. 

The scene which caused the uproar was King Sejong serving mooncakes, Chinese dumplings, and duck eggs to a Catholic exorcist from the Vatican, which raised concern about featuring Chinese culture on the Korean show. A petition was posted to suspend the broadcasting of Joseon Exorcist's episodes and about 100k people agreed as of March 24, 2021. The Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association made up of the descendants of the royal Lee clan of Joseon, rulers of Korea for over 500 years released a statement that requested the immediate cancellation of the drama Joseon Exorcist, which they claimed has distorted Korean history and culture and showed favoritism toward China's Northeast History Project. 

The production team behind the show also released an official statement that said that they are sorry for the inconvenience of viewership with scenes that can be misunderstood at a sensitive time. The statement also read that the scene was just a setup to explain the location of the characters away from Hanyang in the drama, and there was no special intention at all. The series follows the fight of the royal family to protect the people from evil spirits of the undead, who use human fancies to demolish Joseon. It was premiered on SBS TV on March 22, 2021, and airs every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 KST.

Image Credits: joseonexorcist.sbs