Kim Tae Ri’s Upcoming Project Criticized For Erasure Of Original GL (Girls Love) Storyline

“…tired of queer characters getting deleted.”
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Sydney Lucas
Sydney Lucas

Kim Tae Ri is set to star in the new project Jeongnyeon: The Star Is Born, which is based on the webtoon. When it was announced, it received a lot of attention but is now faced with backlash due to its approach to the GL storyline in the original.

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The K-Drama poster | tvN

Recently, it was announced that MBC sued the production team of tvN claiming that they took the series to tvN without MBC’s consent. Amid the controversy over the rights, there were also comments on the GL (girls love) aspect of the project.

In the original narrative, there is a character called Bu Yong and her relationship with the main character…

but it was revealed to be removed when information about the casting was revealed. After it was noticed by fans, international netizens shared their anger about the major change in the storyline.

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In particular, amid the issues with MBC and tvN, a source revealed what happened when discussing the GL storyline.

We held script readings with several actors at MBC, and since the original webtoon deals with GL (Girl Love) themes, which are sensitive, discussions were held about character adjustments as well. It’s a matter of principle. The production company has never once apologized or attempted to negotiate. Isn’t it understandable why MBC feels a significant sense of betrayal?

— Source

While Korea can still be quite traditional when it comes to views on sexuality, netizens couldn’t hide their anger at what was happening. Many thought it was doing a disservice to the original, and it shouldn’t have been made if it didn’t respect the webtoon. Others pointed out that it was queer erasure, with many not understanding why, as LGBT+ storylines are more present in mainstream Korean shows.

comemnts

  • The show should not have been made if this is how it would be. There’s no respect for the original webtoon anyway.
  • So they did get rid of the queer character, disregarding the original work completely.
  • Just come up with a new show, then… instead of ruining the original webtoon. Haha.
  • Well, then, this show shouldn’t have been produced from the beginning. I’m so sick and tired of queer characters getting deleted.
  • Destroying the original…
  • Most Koreans don’t even pick up on the LGBTQ+ hints unless the characters are outright having sex. So why put in the extra effort to get rid of the queer character?
  • It didn’t necessarily have to be some R-rated, hardcore GL. They could have toned it down and made it a subtle sapphic romance. Why get rid of the character completely? A lot of other shows [with LGBTQ+ characters] aired just fine.
  • Maybe because it’s MBC…? I mean, KBS had no problem airing queer shows.

You can read more about the show below.

Actress Kim Tae Ri’s First Sapphic Role Actually Inspired Her Latest

Source: Chosun and theqoo
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