"List Appears to Preemptively Identify Chinese Capital Dramas... Continuing Aftershocks"

The drama Joseon Exorcist, which was suspended after only two episodes due to controversy over 'historical distortion.' / Photo by SBS website capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] The SBS drama "Joseon Exorcist," which sparked controversy over "historical distortion," has ultimately been taken off the air after just two episodes. This was the result of viewers directly driving the problematic drama out of the media through national petitions and advertiser boycotts. Amid growing movements among the outraged public to preemptively identify a "second Joseon Exorcist," reactions are mixed, with some calling it a "good precedent" and others expressing concerns about "excessive public pressure."

On the 26th, SBS issued an official statement saying, "Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, we have decided to cancel the broadcast and terminate the contract for the airing rights of 'Joseon Exorcist.'"

They added, "Although there are concerns about economic losses for the broadcaster and production company, as well as programming gaps, we feel a heavy responsibility as a terrestrial broadcaster and have decided to cancel the broadcast." SBS had already prepaid most of the airing rights fee for this drama, and the production company had completed 80% of filming.

'Joseon Exorcist' faced public protests for airing scenes where King Taejong, engulfed in hallucinations, brutally massacres innocent civilians. Photo by SBS, screenshot from 'Joseon Exorcist' broadcast.

Starting its first broadcast on the 22nd, "Joseon Exorcist" sparked controversy over "Northeast Project" due to its use of Chinese-style interiors and Chinese foods such as mooncakes, century eggs, and dumplings from the very first episode. The production team claimed that the drama's content was unrelated to historical facts and was purely fictional, but criticism did not subside easily.

Moreover, it was revealed that the drama was introduced on WeTV, a video streaming site affiliated with China's Tencent, as a drama based on the historical facts of North Korea's founding, and that later episodes included content suggesting that the founding of Joseon was done through a deal with evil spirits, which further fueled viewers' resentment.

Eventually, viewers expressed their discontent through the Blue House's national petition and the Korea Communications Standards Commission, and directly pressured advertisers and sponsors by initiating boycotts.

Ultimately, "Joseon Exorcist," which was cut off by all advertisers and headed toward cancellation, became the first dishonorable case to be hit hard by public backlash.

On the 25th, an online community posted a message expressing concerns about historical distortion in an upcoming drama, calling it the "next target after 'Joseon Exorcist'." / Photo by Online Community Capture

The public's interest following this incident is rapidly shifting toward "preemptively identifying and preventing a second Joseon Exorcist."

In fact, on online communities that day, several upcoming dramas were mentioned under titles such as "Dramas that might need financial treatment (a neologism meaning 'using capital to overturn the situation') after Joseon Exorcist" and "Next targets after Joseon Exorcist."

The intensified criticism from viewers has even extended to dramas that have already ended. The tvN drama "Mr. Queen," which concluded last month, was written by Park Gye-ok, the writer of Joseon Exorcist. Although it was embroiled in historical distortion controversies during its airing, it ended with high ratings.

However, after the suspension of Joseon Exorcist, the public's anger has also targeted "Mr. Queen," leading online video services (OTT) such as TVING and Naver Series On to suspend its rerun service. WemustM, the manufacturer of masks for which actress Shin Hye-sun, the lead in Mr. Queen, served as an advertising model, faced criticism from some netizens and postponed the production of 11 million masks.

Some have evaluated that the Joseon Exorcist incident has given consumers, who learned to pressure advertisers, a new power to decide the fate of content.

As viewers, who have long resisted the creeping influence of Chinese capital in media, have begun to actively oppose it, production companies, broadcasters, and advertisers are becoming increasingly tense.

Netizens are responding positively, saying, "'Joseon Exorcist's cancellation is a good precedent showing that viewers do not get swayed by the media but can lead it," and "Now we can proudly tell the Chinese doing the Northeast Project with Joseon Exorcist that it was a drama canceled after two episodes due to historical distortion."

After the controversy over 'historical distortion,' a movement spread among netizens to pressure advertisers and directly lead to the cancellation of 'Joseon Exorcist.' / Photo by Online Community Capture

On the other hand, some voices express concern that the public's sensitivity has increased excessively after the Joseon Exorcist incident, leading to overblown public pressure.

On the 24th, food critic Hwang Kyo-ik criticized on his social media, "If it's fantasy, just see it as fantasy; why all this talk about history?" He added, "Don't get excited over a fantasy drama; instead, shout to correct the bogus intangible cultural heritage of Joseon royal court cuisine, you nationalist enthusiasts."

Also, the production company of "Snowdrop," which has been controversial for historical distortion concerns even before its airing, requested, "The ongoing historical distortion controversy is nothing but speculation," and asked, "Please refrain from indiscriminate criticism that has not been disclosed."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.