Criticism is pouring out online in relation to the advertisement of JTBC's new Saturday drama 'Snowdrop' at Jongno 3-ga Station in Seoul.

It is being pointed out that Snowdrop have undermined the democratization movement and glorified the National Security Planning Department (National Intelligence Service), which cooperated with the dictatorship.

According to the Seoul Transportation Corporation on December 1st, an advertisement for Snowdrop will be displayed at Jongno 3-ga Station from this day to December 15th.

It is known that the advertisement was executed by Blackpink Jisoo's Vietnamese Fan Club, and it is scheduled to be broadcast 257 times a day, 10 seconds at a time. Previously, the fan club also ran an advertisement for Snowdrop in the Gasan Digital Complex area.

“Snowdrop”’s advertisement at Jongno Station is receiving keen attention online. Netizens are saying that the advertisements at Jongno Station, the center of Korea’s June Democracy Movement, are inappropriate, referring to the controversy over the drama’s distortion of history.

Earlier, “Snowdrop” was embroiled in controversy over glorifying spies after it was leaked that the drama’s setting is about a prestigious university student/activist turning out to be a North Korean spy.

Although the “Snowdrop” side explained, “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 National Security Planning, and others in power at the time colluding with the North Korean dictatorship and planning a conspiracy to retain their power”, the work is still receiving harsh criticism from viewers.

Rather, the controversy is growing as the historical refutation of the “Snowdrop” side’s explanation continues. In particular, in relation to the “Snowdrop” side’s explanation on the agent of the Agency for National Security Planning in the drama as “an overseas part agent unrelated to spy manipulation”, the “East Berlin spy manipulation” incident of the Agency for National Security Planning in 1967 is being mentioned.

Netizens are showing various reactions such as “Will subway advertisements be taken down if they really distort history?”, “I will protest against the subway station right now”, “It seems like they are putting advertisements in Jongno on purpose”…

One netizen criticized, “The more you advertise, the worse it will be for actors. I don’t know what you are thinking. There is a problem with the cast who chose the work, and their fans are also problematic.”

Source[1]

The hit drama Weak Hero 2 is taking over both streaming charts and fans’ hearts—and now it’s bringing massive attention back to the original Naver webtoon Weak Hero.

According to Netflix's Tudum Top 10 update on April 30, Weak Hero 2 pulled in a huge 6.1 million views (based on total watch time divided by full runtime) just three days after its release. It grabbed the #1 spot on the Global TOP 10 Non-English TV Series chart.

That’s not all—right after it dropped, the drama soared to the top of Korea’s TOP 10 Series and even made the TOP 10 charts in 63 countries, including Brazil, France, Mexico, Belgium, Morocco, Greece, Indonesia, and more.

This follows the success of Weak Hero 1, which previously ranked #8 and stayed on the global chart for five weeks straight.

With all eyes on the new season, fans are now rushing to read the original webtoon, leading to a massive jump in popularity.

The webtoon, which first started in May 2018 and wrapped up in November 2023, is famous for its intense storytelling and emotional depth.

It tells the story of Yeon Si Eun, a quiet and seemingly weak student who turns into a top fighter at a violent school—giving fans a unique and gripping coming-of-age story.

After Weak Hero Class 2 aired, many viewers started reading or re-reading the webtoon from beginning to end. As a result, sales of the webtoon have shot up more than 20 times compared to its average monthly sales after completion.

The series has also been turned into printed books, a mobile game, and even emojis, and has been exported to 9 countries, including North America.

When the first season of the drama premiered on Wavve in 2022, it held 45% of the platform’s total viewing share, proving its wide appeal.

Fans are now hoping for a new sequel season of the webtoon, and the franchise is being praised as a perfect example of how a strong original story can keep growing through great adaptations.

Source: [1]