Song Joong Ki’s K-Drama “Reborn Rich” Comes Under Fire For An Allegedly “Disrespectful” Representation Of Istanbul

One of the hottest K-Dramas right now has to be Reborn Rich. Starring Song Joong Ki, the show has gained praise worldwide and the actor has been praised for his legendary acting skills.

The drama, which tells the story of a man who is reborn as the youngest son of a Chaebol or a conglomerate family, has captured the attention of Korean audiences after its first week on air.

Although the show has gained constant praise from fans, certain scenes have come under fire from international netizens after many believed the representation of Istanbul is inaccurate.

In particular, a user on TikTok shared a comparison of the representation of the country on the show to the reality.

Aside from the clips shared on TikTok, fans raised other concerns that pertained to the representation of Istanbul in the show. In particular, they raised anger at the stereotypical “Middle East Filter” that was used when showcasing the city along with the music.

Many also believe that the way that the country was portrayed showcases the country as not developed and “unsafe,” with a focus on organized crime during the scenes.

One fan even explained that the scene where Song Joong Ki’s character was beaten up by children and mocked draws on unrealistic stereotypes.

The user explained, “Turks are one of the most sociable & hospitable people yall will ever meet. If they saw someone faint they will definitely help.”

Let’s call this scene out.
Firstly I’m criticizing the poor job production team did. Not SJK.

Turks are one of the most sociable & hospitable people yall will ever meet. If they saw someone faint they will definitely help. Thus the scene doesn’t reflect the reality👎🏻#RebornRich https://t.co/9vG2K76ukO

— M (@bordeauxxx_) November 18, 2022

Others even pointed out that with the constant presence of Arab writing, they portrayed Turkey as an Arab state while it is deemed as being part of Eurasia.

Some even pointed out that the Arabic that was used wasn’t well written and was actually broken in some of the prominent scenes, adding that the words and outfits emphasize a stereotype.

When clips and tweets were shared, the TikTok video gained a lot of attention, with netizens wondering why the premise of the show was set in Istanbul, their disappointment, but also the fact that it isn’t the first time it’s happened.

Some fans defended the show explaining that other cities had the same filter in the show and that the producers might have been representing another time period. Yet, the majority have shared their anger but reiterated that the criticism is towards the production team, not Song Joong Ki.