JTBC Releases New Statement Denying Possibility Of Historical Distortion In Upcoming Drama "Snowdrop"

JTBC has released a second statement addressing the criticism the upcoming drama “Snowdrop” (literal title) has been facing.

“Snowdrop,” scheduled to premiere in the second half of this year, is set in Seoul in 1987. Jung Hae In stars as Soo Ho, a student at a prestigious university who rushes into a female dorm one day covered in blood. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo plays Young Cho, the university student who hides him and takes care of his wounds despite facing danger and close surveillance.

When parts of the synopsis began to circulate online, concerns about a potential distortion of historical facts were raised. Based on the information being spread, the male lead is a spy who has infiltrated the activist movement, while another male character is a team leader at the Agency for National Security Planning (NSP) but is described as being straightforward and just.

1987 was a key year in South Korea’s popular democratic movement that led to the establishment of the present-day republic. The NSP would have been part of the authoritarian regime at the time.

JTBC released their first statement in response to the criticism on March 26, stating that the information circulating online were incomplete and inaccurate representations of the drama’s actual content and intentions.

Read JTBC’s new statement below:

We are stating our position once more on the controversy surrounding the drama “Snowdrop.”

We are sharing a statement again to resolve the misunderstandings stemming from the speculations and criticisms that continue to be made after our statement regarding “Snowdrop.”

The current controversy has resulted from fragmentary information that is a combination of an incomplete synopsis and parts from the character descriptions. These fragments of information are being combined with speculations, making false information appear to be true. Of course, this is the production team’s fault for not being careful while managing unrefined data.

We would like to reveal some parts of the plot of “Snowdrop” to help with your understanding.

1. Regarding the controversy that the drama disparages the pro-democracy movement, “Snowdrop” is not a drama that deals with the pro-democracy movement. In the script, there are is not a single part where the male and female protagonists participate in or lead the pro-democracy movement. On the contrary, there is a character that is unfairly oppressed because they were accused of being a North Korean spy by the military regime of the 1980s.

2. The background and the motif behind the main events in “Snowdrop” is the political situation surrounding the 1987 presidential elections, not the pro-democracy movement. The drama portrays a fictional story about the military regime, the NSP, and others in power at the time colluding with the North Korean dictatorship and planning a conspiracy to retain their power.

3. In this setting, a North Korean spy and an agent of the NSP who is chasing the spy appear as the main characters. They are not characters who represent their respective government and organization. They are characters who highlight a critical viewpoint on the NSP, which actively supports a corrupt desire for power to maintain the ruling party. Therefore, the concern that the drama glamorizes being a spy or working for the NSP is not relevant to “Snowdrop.”

4. The reason we described the NSP agent as “straightforward and just” is because he is a secret agent who turns down the chance to be appointed to a powerful position in his country and instead works overseas after he is disheartened to see his colleagues “creating” spies instead of “catching” them. He is also portrayed as a man of principle who turns his back on the corrupt organization and does what he thinks is right.

5. The name of one of the characters in the drama is not related to [real-life pro-democracy activist] Chun Young Cho. However, as it has been pointed out that the name is reminiscent of her, we will change the female protagonist’s name.

From this moment on, based on the information above, we ask you to refrain from misleading the public opinion by framing false information about a drama that has yet to air as if they are facts. Please recognize that this behavior discourages and causes serious harm to the many creators who are trying to create a good production.

We will do our best to receive positive reviews with the complete drama.

Source (1)