“Love Next Door” Hit With Scathing Criticism For Ignorant Representation Of Africa

Viewers are upset with the lack of awareness.

International netizens are calling out the scriptwriters of Love Next Door for their insensitive representation of Africa. 

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Jung So Min and Jung Hae In in “Love Next Door” | Netflix

The Jung Hae In and Jung So Min-starrer is a story about two childhood friends slowly turning into lovers. The mother of Choi Seung Hyo, the male protagonist, is portrayed as a career woman who works at the Korean embassy and has traveled around a lot for her job. The show specifically mentions “France” and “Africa” as the two places she had been posted at previously.

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Jang Young Nam as Seo Hye Sook in “Love Next Door”

This mention of Africa is the very first reason why many have called out the show’s writers. They argued that naming “Africa” alongside “France” showed the writers’ ignorance, implying they either didn’t know that the former is a continent and the latter, a country, or they didn’t care enough to look up an African country’s name for the script.

The second reason why many are upset involves a dialogue from a recent episode, where Seung Hyo’s father tells off his mother for always choosing to go to “dangerous” places replete with “civil wars” and “terrorism.” 

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| Netflix
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| Netflix

Netizens felt it was a stereotypical and insulting association to make with the entire African continent and, once again, a result of ignorance.

This is not the first time a popular show on Korean TV has been called out for misrepresenting Africa. Previously, SES member Bada was criticized severely for her skewed perception of Africa and its people. The backlash against her was especially focused on the fact that she misinformed her daughter about the way children live in Africa. You can read more about the incident here.

Love Next Door

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