《Tae Yuna's Listening Board》
Controversy over distorting and belittling Arab culture in 'King the Land'
"Arabs can be unpleasant enough"
Controversy over distorting and belittling Arab culture in 'King the Land'
"Arabs can be unpleasant enough"
《Tae Yuna's Listening Board》
Reporters Taeyoo and TenAsia will properly cover every aspect of the drama based on what they heard and saw on site. We will be the eyes and ears of the readers in the era of flood of dramas pouring from numerous channels.
"Alcohol is the most taboo for Muslims. To describe Muslims as drinking alcohol is similar to saying that all Koreans eat dog meat. Maybe it's even more offensive than that."
JTBC's Saturday drama 'King the Land', which was on a winning streak, met a huge reef. It was embroiled in controversy for distorting and belittling Arab culture. Local experts who majored in Islamic culture also expressed regret as the production team's superficial apology that it was a fictional setting and did not intend to caricature or distort a specific culture only grew more critical.
The 'King the Land' cultural distortion controversy was triggered by the 7th and 8th broadcasts on the 8th and 9th. In the broadcast, an Arab prince, Samir (played by Anupam Tripathi), who visited Korea, was shown staying at the King Hotel. enjoying wine together. This is a taboo activity in Islam. Not only drinking, but also access to places where alcohol is sold.
Kim Dong-hwan, president of the Korean Islamic Society and professor of Arabic at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, told Ten Asia on the 11th, “Even if it is not an Arab prince, more than 90% of Arabs are Muslim. It makes no sense that Muslims drink alcohol. He pointed out, "Of course, there are some people who drink. But that's not common. It's a pity that we had to put a drinking scene in a dramatic element, unless it was absolutely necessary." Professor Kim also said, "If such cases continue, it could become a major obstacle for the K-entertainment industry to enter other cultures."
He said, “When mentioning or dealing with the culture of an unfamiliar region or a specific class, I think that one way to strengthen K-culture is to be inspected by an expert or related worker in the field at least once.” Professor Kim's main major is Islamic economy and culture.
The controversy over the distortion of foreign culture has appeared several times in the past. In SBS'Penthouse 3', it was pointed out that Alex (Park Eun-seok) was comically portrayed as a person with thick reggae hair and colorful tattoos, making a caricature of black people. 'Racquet Boys' was criticized for its directing that emphasized the territorial attitude and bad manners of the Indonesian audience.
Regarding this controversy, there is also a position that dramas are only virtual and that cultural distortion is an expanded interpretation. The production team of 'King the Land' also emphasized, "The characters, regions, and place names appearing in the drama are fictitious settings, and there was no intention to caricature or distort a specific culture."
Even if dramas are virtual, virtuality does not exist in culture. Therefore, thorough preparation in advance is essential when adding characters from a specific culture or country. It should also be kept in mind that people of many races and countries are watching as K-content is making a name for itself around the world. If this noise continues to accumulate, it will inevitably become an obstacle to the export of K-content. This is why the controversy over cultural distortion cannot be laughed off lightly.
Reporter Tae Yuna, Ten Asia youyou@tenasia.co.kr