Following the backlash "King the Land" received due to cultural misinterpretation, JTBC released an official apology letter to the public.
'King the Land' Issues Apology for Cultural Misinterpretation
In "King the Land" Episodes 7 and 8, which aired on July 8 and 9, the scenes featured the character of Arab Prince Samir, played by Anupam Tripathi. The character was portrayed as a womanizer, and someone who enjoys drinking with women.
As the episodes aired, the K-drama immediately received criticism. The viewers lambasted the series for allegedly stereotyping and disrespecting the Arab culture regarding alcohol.
Due to this, people demanded a sincere apology from the drama team.
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On July 12, the "King the Land's" team released a formal apology letter through JTBC's social media accounts.
The drama production expressed their sincere and deep apology for causing inconvenience to their viewers without full consideration of other valued cultures.
They added that they have no intention of caricaturing or distorting any particular country or culture in the process.
The team stated that they will do their best going forward to create content that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of where they are from and what kind of culture they have.
"King the Land" team promised that they will look thoroughly into the part of the episodes, which were considered problematic, to make sure the right measures are taken.
Here's the full apology statement released in English and Korean.
On July 13, the "King the Land" team also published the apology letter in Arabic.
Viewers React to 'King the Land' Production Team's Apology Letter
Upon the release of the apology letter, people shared their mixed reactions. Some are relieved to see that the production shared their side, while others remain disappointed.
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"It's a relief that they'll change it."
"They should have done it earlier. Yet it's a relief that they are taking action. The actors got so much hate... Please edit those scenes."
"Good thing they apologized. 'King the Land' fighting!"
"It's legendary that they're only apologizing now."
"They would've spared all the trouble if they released this at first. The actors got hatred for nothing on social media, but still, it's good that they apologized."
"It's nice that they'll edit the scenes. They should be careful next time."
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