The producers of the Korean series King the Land issued an official apology for one of the scenes that offended Arabs, sparking widespread controversy on social media during which the work and its producers were criticized.Add an adIt is true that we have become accustomed to the stereotype of the Arab man – especially the Gulf nation – followed by many foreign films and serials, who wears a headscarf and indulges in spending money here and there.

However, it seems that this stereotyping of Arabs is not limited to Western productions, as a Korean production has joined in today to renew the debate about this stereotype, and Netflix, which does not emerge from one controversy until entering another.

How did King the Land offend the Arabs?

The series “King the Land” revolves around Chun Cha Rang, an intelligent and attractive woman who lives with her family in a difficult financial situation.
She is known as the “Queen of Smiles and Hospitality” when she starts working at The King Hotels, owned by heir Joo Won, who falls in love with the employee and brings him together in a romantic and comedic drama of many situations. .

In the seventh episode of the South Korean-produced series King the Land, a wealthy Arab man – Samir – wears Gulf attire (fist and headband) to a group of women in a nightclub.

As for his reason for being in Korea, his goal – according to the series – is to negotiate the purchase of fighter jets. He books The King Hotel for himself and his entourage and upon his arrival at the hotel, he is greeted by the maids of the place.

Rich prince Sameer Seon falls into the trap of wanting Cha Rang and fights with Joo Won; But the way he spoke to the heroine of the series King of the Earth was considered provocative, especially since he was portrayed as a lustful lover of women at first sight.

An apology and bad review of the King of the Earth series

The appearance of an Arab man in the Korean series King the Land sparked widespread outrage. Many on social media have been actively campaigning to boycott the series and stop it after giving it a bad rating.
In fact, these claims were widely circulated as lowering the quality of the King of the Earth series. And after its high on the IMDd platform, it dropped significantly to score 1.8, which is considered a very poor rating.

For its part, JTBC responded to the many criticisms the drama received on Twitter with the hashtag #JTBCAPOLOGIZE and issued an official apology to viewers.

He wrote on his Instagram account: “Although we do not intend to portray or defame any particular country or culture, we would like to express our sincere apologies for causing unnecessary inconvenience to our viewers without taking into account other valuable cultures.”

“There is a lack of understanding, experience and consideration of other cultures and we will do our best to move forward with content that anyone can enjoy,” he added.

The channel concluded its statement saying, “We will thoroughly review any video identified as problematic and do our best to ensure that appropriate action is taken. We assure our viewers that extra attention will be given. Our content will not cause any inconvenience.” – Arabic Post