A massive online controversy erupted after an Arab character was recently introduced in a hit South Korean drama titled King The Land.
In the recently released episode 7 of King The Land, a supporting character named Prince Samir, played by Indian actor Anupam Tripathi of Squid Games fame, is seen in a nightclub cavorting with women and drinking alcohol while wearing a white kandura and the traditional headpiece, keffiyeh.
While there is no mention of the nationality of Prince Samir, the choice of name and clothing left no doubt he is from the region.
Viewers took to Twitter and hit out at the makers of the show for its stereotypical portrayal of an Arab.
The production house JTBC has now apologised and vowed to take the appropriate action as a result.
The apology shared by JTBC read: “We would like to express our deep and sincere apology for causing unnecessary inconvenience to our viewers without full consideration of other valued cultures although we have no intention of caricaturing or distorting any particular country or culture in the process. It has been our sharp realization that there has been a lack of understanding, experience, and consideration for other cultures. We will do our 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. “We will take a thorough look into the part of the video which was considered problematic, and do our best to make sure that right measures are taken. We earnestly promise to our viewers that more care will be taken down the road so that there will be no inconvenience in viewing our content.”
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