K-Drama Little Women received rave reviews globally. The show was well-loved for its perfect plot and acting, featuring big names such as Kim Go Eun and Wi Ha Joon. Despite this, it has since fallen from grace with Vietnamese audiences thanks to a scene in episode 8.
In episode 8, a war veteran from South Korea was seen bragging about the “kill-to-death” ratio between South Korean troops and the Viet Cong (the communist army). In the scene, the veteran claimed that Korean troops could kill between 20 to 100 Vietnamese troops each. The character also stated that “Korean troops were the heroes of the Vietnam War,” sparking a huge uproar.
Vietnamese audiences alleged that this was a “distortion of history” as they did not agree with the claims. While some international fans of the show argued that since it was referring to the Viet Cong, the communist armed organization, it didn’t matter anyway as the Viet Cong were also seen as an antagonist of sorts. However, many were on the side of the Vietnamese audience, citing that a foreign drama should not be commenting on sensitive issues to any nation such as war and death.
While Vietnamese fans are rightfully outraged at the insensitivity, Korean netizens are fully on the side of the Vietnamese audience.
- “If it were me, I’d be upset too so I get them.”
- “But even when I watched the show, I wondered how the Vietnamese would think about it. We too, can’t help but react sensitively when it’s content to do with the war with Japan.”
- “While I don’t think it’s beautifying anything as the scene was about the standard of the crap that a cult leader spouts but I do think that the Vietnamese would be upset after hearing that.”
- “As I watched it, I scoffed too.”
- “It’s a sensitive issue so I get it.”
Four days after the issue arose, the production team apologized and promised to be more careful with how they portrayed sensitive topics such as this one in the future.
