The makers of the Korean series King the Land made an official apology for one of the scenes that was considered offensive to Arabs, after it sparked widespread controversy on social media, during which the work and its makers were criticized.It is true that we are accustomed to the stereotype that many foreign films and series adopt about the Arab man – and the Gulf one in particular – which shows him wearing head scarves and robes, and drowning in the money he spends here and there.
However, it seems that this stereotypical framing of Arabs is no longer confined to Western production, as Korean production has joined it today to renew the debate about this stereotyping, and about Netflix, which does not emerge from one controversy until it enters another.
How did King The Land offend the Arabs?
The series “King the Land” revolves around an intelligent and charismatic girl, Chun Sa Rang, who lives in difficult financial circumstances with her family.
She becomes known as the “Queen of Smiles and Hospitality” when she starts working at The King Hotels, which is owned by the heir Joo Won, who falls in love with the employee and brings him together in several situations in a romantic and comedy drama.
In the seventh episode of the series King The Land, which is produced by South Korea, a rich Arab man – named Samir – appears wearing the Gulf dress (bisht and headband) among a group of women in a nightclub.
As for the reason for his presence in Korea, his goal – according to the series – is to conduct negotiations to purchase warplanes. He books The King Hotel for himself and his entourage, and as soon as he arrives at the hotel, he is welcomed by the maids in the place.
Rich Prince Sameer falls into a trap of liking Cheon Sa Rang, and gets into a fight with Joo Won over her; However, the way he spoke to the heroine of the King of the Earth series was considered provocative, especially since he was portrayed as a lustful person who falls in love with women at first sight.
An apology and a bad evaluation of the King of the Earth series
This image, in which the Arab man appeared in the Korean series King The Land, sparked widespread discontent. Many on social media have launched a serious campaign to boycott the series, and to demand that it be stopped, by giving it a bad rating.
Indeed, these claims to downgrade the series King of the Earth spread widely. And after it was high on the IMDd platform, it fell significantly to have a score of 1.8, which is considered a very bad rating.
For its part, JTBC Drama responded to the many criticisms it received with the hashtag #JTBCAPOLOGIZE on Twitter, and issued an official apology to the viewers.
Through her Instagram account, she wrote: “We would like to express our sincere apologies for causing unnecessary inconvenience to our viewers, without taking into account other valuable cultures, although we did not intend to portray or defame any particular country or culture.”
“There has been a lack of understanding, experience, and consideration for other cultures, and we will do our best to move forward with content that anyone can enjoy.”
The channel concluded its statement, saying, “We will take a thorough look at the video that has been identified as problematic, and will do our best to ensure that the correct actions are taken. We promise our viewers that extra care will be taken so that our content does not cause any inconvenience.” – Arab Post
