SBS drama 'Joseon-gu Masa (Joseon Exorcist)' is engulfed in controversy.

On the 23rd, after the drama aired its first episode on 22nd, more than 1,700 complaints were filed with Korea Communications Commission and a national petition was posted on the Blue House asking for the drama to be suspended from airing due to its distortion of history and heavy use of Chinese PPL.

In particular, viewers described a scene where Prince Chung-nyeong and two people are guided to a gisaeng house decorated in Chinese-style. Food served was also Chinese, not Korean, and included Chinese moon cakes and pidan (saked duck eggs). Beside those were also Chinese dumplings and what appeared to be a Chinese style liquor bottle with the Chinese character for liquor written on it.

Viewers complained that it was uncomfortable to watch a Korean drama using Chinese-style items during a sensitive time due to recent issues in the North East. Recently, Song Joong-ki's tvN drama 'Vincenzo' was also heavily criticized for Chinese bibimbap PPL.

An aide from drama side stated in an official position, "In order to emphasize the situation in which the third prince (Prince Chung-nyeong) had to travel a long distance to the Chinese border in place of the crowned prince (Prince Yang-nyeong) to bring a priest to the west station near Uiju (Ming Dynasty border) we set up the location there and added subtitles like that. It was a place of rest for Guma-sa priests who came to Joseon through Ming so we prepared small items with the imagination that there would be a lot of traffic from the Chinese. It was set to explain the location of the characters in the far-off side of Hanyang in the drama, there was no special intentions behind it at all. However, it appears to be a scene that caused discomfort during a sensitive time. We're sorry."

However, netizens retorted to the official position stating, "Ming Dynasty never bordered Joseon at all during Tae-jong period and Uiju is not anywhere close to the Ming Dynasty border nor part of it."

Netizens also stated that there was a history distortion problem in the dialogue by Prince Chung-nyeong (Jang Dong-yoon) but they did not address that with their official position causing further anger. There are also further rumors that the drama's script writer is Chinese and not Korean.

Attention is being paid whether 'Joseon-gu Masa' will address the history distortion controversy.

  1. [+1,024 -7] This was the writer's intention. He even signed a contract with a Chinese company. This is what we call a "sell-off" nowadaysㅋㅋ. I hope this drama is suspended from airing and any drama's found distorting our history stop getting air time.
  2. [+473, -4] It's because he signed a contract with the Chinese so of course he wrote up the script distorting our history. I can't believe this writer dared to touch King Sejong!? Does he know the character of the person he dared to write such a script about?
  3. [+355, -5] A lowly mind is easily influenced with money. That's why their people are still savages.
  4. [+258, -3] This is so embarrassing and just absurd. Why bring up real dynasties when its a fantasy drama. It's common for fantasy dramas to have monsters and zombies so why put in non-fictional characters? It's crazy.
  5. [+140, -1] Are we sure the writer is Korean? not Chinese?
  6. [+52, -0] Since Queen Iron man (Mr. Queen), the Chinese have been infiltrating Korean historical dramas with money and causing serious distortion of our history...
  7. [+47, -0] This is why these parasite humans need to be buried. Thugs like writer Park Gye-ok that sell everything to Chinese communist party for money are parasites, not humans. China Town citizens in Chuncheon need to know this is a product of a historical manipulation.
  8. [+33, -0] 1. Serving Chinese mooncakes and silkworms to Western envoys at a Joseon dining table 2. Bang-won Lee's groundless massacre of the yangban 3. Drinking Chinese liquor 4. Lighting/food/songs/accessories in the gisaeng house excluding Hanbok are all Chinese style 5. Playbook. On the 15th, writer Park Gye-ok signed a contract with Hangzhou Jaffing Pictures Co., Ltd. in Chinaㅋㅋㅋㅋ
  9. [+27, -0] ㅋㅋwhat the heck is that clarification? They didn't have any special intentions? Really? Are they sure this wasn't a quick money grab? ㅋㅋ. They must've dreamed big and thought to make a lot of money from the Chinese ㅋㅋ
  10. [+17, -0] It's a fictional drama so historical figures shouldn't have been brought in at all. Why even go with Joseon dynasty as the backdropㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ? Did they have plans to export the drama to China ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ .

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