South Korean cable television network JTBC has announced its plans to take legal action against individuals spreading “falsehoods” regarding its K-drama series Snowdrop.
On December 31, local news outlet Sports Khan published a report about JTBC’s decision to take “strong measures” against the spread of alleged false information about the series. Although JTBC did not specify the “falsehood” in its statement, Snowdrop has notably been accused of allegedly distorting the history of South Korea’s democratisation movement.
“While JTBC encourages the value of independence and freedom in creation as well as content and planning, we also sufficiently respect the rights of the contents’ viewers and how they criticise and receive the work,” the network said, as translated by Koreaboo.
“But recently, there has been falsehoods and unfound criticism regarding the drama’s contents and these have been continuous and repeating. In the beginning of the production, the synopsis was already leaked and it was maliciously edited and spread.”
“As we will be taking strict action against spread of falsehoods, we hope that you will take this into consideration before doing so,” JTBC added. “In addition, please refrain from personally attacking the producers and the actors.”
Last month, an online petition calling for the cancellation of the series was posted to the website fo the Blue House. The petition alleges that Snowdrop “defames the value and reputation of the democratisation movement”, and had reached over 200,000 signatures in its first 24 hours.
On December 30, a South Korean court ruled that the series would be permitted to continue airing, following an injunction by civic group The Declaration Of Global Citizen In Korea.
“Even if Snowdrop is based on a distortion of history, the probability that the public will blindly accept [those distortions as fact] is low,” the court said of its decision. “Unless the content of the drama directly involves [the civic group], it’s difficult to argue that it infringes on the rights of [the group].”
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