"King The Land" Production Team Shares Brief Statement Regarding Controversy Over Recent Episodes

JTBC’s Saturday-Sunday drama “King the Land” has faced criticism from viewers for disrespecting Arab culture.

Previously on July 8 and 9, “King the Land” aired episodes 7 and 8 featuring the new character Arab Prince Samir (Anupam Tripathi). In these recent episodes, Samir, who is Gu Won’s (Lee Junho’s) friend from when he was studying abroad, visits King Hotel and falls in love at first sight with Cheon Sa Rang (YoonA), creating laughter by making Gu Won feel jealous over Sa Rang.

In the process of the story’s development, Samir was portrayed as a womanizer who enjoys drinking with several women. He enjoys nightlife at what appears to be a club and flirts with Cheon Sa Rang, whom he meets for the first time. Gu Won, who spent his school days with him, accuses him of being a “playboy.”

When these episodes were released, viewers criticized “King the Land” for not respecting Arab culture regarding alcohol and demanded a sincere apology from the production team.

In response to the report, the production team of “King the Land” briefly stated, “The characters, regions, place names, etc. appearing in the drama are fictitious settings, and there was no intention to satirize or distort a specific culture. The production team respects various cultures and will pay more attention to production so that there is no discomfort in viewing.”

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