Korean broadcaster MBC apologises after K-drama draws flak for portrayal of Muslims
UPDATE: Online video service Viu said it has removed the drama from its platform.
South Korean broadcaster MBC issued an apology on Friday (21 July) over its most recent drama, “Man Who Dies To Live”, after it was slammed online over its portrayal of Muslims.
In the show, which stars Choi Min-soo as the main lead, there are scenes of women who appear to be Muslim wearing hijabs in bikinis. Another scene shows Choi, dressed in traditional Arab garb, drinking wine.
@astroonline hi astro, could you pls take down this drama The Man Who Dies to Live on Oh!K channel. pic.twitter.com/OaRjIiLKZ8
— 라 (@jiminandme) July 22, 2017
Other scenes included a Muslim royal ordering a man to marry the princess, and women wearing hijabs waiting to be chosen by a man, which included the phrase “buy one princess, get two for free”.
Online, netizens slammed the scenes as being “not appropriate” and “disgusting” and insulting to Islamic culture.
The way “the man who dies to live” portrays arab and hijab is not appropriate at all and not acceptable we should not be quiet about this
— Asma (@Taewonho_) July 20, 2017
In a Twitter post on Friday, MBC said in Korean that the drama is fictional, and that they did not have the intention of offending any specific culture or religion.
MBC also assured viewers that it would be more careful with such topics in the future.
드라마 ‘죽어야 사는 남자’ 방송 내용으로 불을 느낀 시청자분들께 사과 말씀드립니다. pic.twitter.com/hCiKYznUe2
— withMBC (@withMBC) July 21, 2017
Most netizens, however, were unmoved by MBC’s apology, instead calling for a boycott of the show as well as for it to be recalled.
#manwhodiestolive_arab#JusticeForIslam#ManWhoDiesToLive#죽어야사는남자
Stop That Drama, “The Man who dies to live” It is Insulting The Muslims— sabah hassani (@Crazygirlexotic) July 20, 2017
The drama “Man Who Dies To Live” is currently airing on Viu and Oh!K in Singapore, with its first episode broadcast last Thursday (20 July).
It tells the story about a Korean count who lives in a fictional land called Bodoantia, who is on a mission to find a daughter he did not know he had and reconnect with her.
Some of the scenes from the episodes show what appears to be Dubai.
Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore has reached out to the distributors and the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore for comments.
Online video service Viu, which had carried the Korean drama on its platform, said on Monday (24 July) that the content has been removed “in view of the sensitivity”. On its content policy, Viu said it would adhere to local government regulations as far as possible.
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