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While the court may have ruled in favor of Snowdrop, the JTBC show still receives negative reviews from several Korean viewers. In response, the broadcasting channel has issued an official warning threatening legal action against the naysayers.
Ever since its premiere, the Jisoo and Jung Hae In starrer Snowdrop has been on the receiving end of a lot of backlash. Several Korean viewers have accused the show of historical distortion, creating a Blue House petition against Snowdrop, which has accumulated well over 300k signatures.
A civic group Declaration of Global Citizens in Korea even filed an injunction against JTBC on December 22 to cancel the drama. When the court overturned the injunction, the criticism kept coming.
JTBC accused netizens of swaying public opinion against 'Snowdrop'
On December 30, JTBC released an official warning against those critical of Snowdrop.
The JTBC statement said:
"JTBC is currently experiencing severe damages due to the spread of false and malicious comments regarding the drama 'Snowdrop'. In order to protect the broadcasting station's image as well as the image of the drama's creators and the rights of creative content, we plan to proceed with strict legal action from now on."
It emphasized the need and necessity of freedom of speech and how the onslaught of hate impairs it.
"JTBC considers the freedom and independence of creativity a key component of successful content creation, as much as we respect the rights of consumers to freely criticize or form opinions about content to a healthy extent. However, against comments and rumors which openly terrorize those involved in the making of this drama and which have nothing to do with the story's actual content, JTBC will be taking legal action."
According to JTBC, the false information spread by certain netizens is swaying public opinion against Snowdrop, resulting in financial loss for both the makers of the drama and the production house.
"Even now, netizens are spreading false information regarding the drama's content, swaying the public's opinions severely."
Snowdrop is set in 1987, a particularly tumultuous period in South Korean history, which saw the pro-democracy movement in full swing. Snowdrop’s director Jo Hyun Tak stated that:
"It's true that the story is based in 1987 Seoul, but outside of the influence of the controversial political elections of the time, all other characters and relationships within the drama are fictitious."
Despite the disclaimer, several viewers took offense to the portrayal of Jung Hae In’s character, claiming that it is insulting to those affected by the movement.
