Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2021
Snowdrop historical-representation controversy
JTBC’s drama Snowdrop attracted petitions, criticism, and complaints alleging that its early premise and historical setting could misrepresent or trivialize South Korea’s democratization movement. JTBC publicly defended the drama’s intended context and the program continued to be broadcast.
2021
Backlash over Snowdrop’s depiction of South Korean history
Public backlash
The JTBC series Snowdrop faced criticism that its depiction of the pro-democracy movement distorted South Korean history, prompting calls to cancel the show. JTBC said the series was fictional apart from its time setting and stated it was not intended to defend the military government’s claims about the movement.
Company response
Clarification — JTBC
JTBC stressed that "Snowdrop" is not intended to defend the military government's claims that Pyongyang was behind the pro-democratic movement in the 1980s
Source excerpt
The romance series "Snowdrop" has sparked criticism that it distorted the history of South Korea's pro-democracy movement of the late 1980s, prompting calls for the show's cancellation and withdrawals of corporate sponsorship.
On Sunday, a petition was posted on an online bulletin of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae calling for the termination of the TV production. More than 300,000 people have signed it as of Tuesday morning.
JTBC stressed that "Snowdrop" is not intended to defend the military government's claims that Pyongyang was behind the pro-democratic movement in the 1980s, pointing out that there is no North Korean agent participating in the protest throughout the series.
2016
Coverage of the Choi Soon-sil tablet and Park Geun-hye scandal
JTBC News reported on a tablet computer associated with Choi Soon-sil during the political scandal involving President Park Geun-hye. The reporting became a major subject of public and political debate and contributed to the network’s increased prominence. The scandal concerned the political figures and events covered by JTBC rather than an allegation that JTBC itself committed misconduct.