George Santayana, the Spanish-American philosopher, once said "Those who can't remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Today, the media plays a decisive role in shaping public memory, allowing people to experience countries and cultures they have never experienced. Korean media, especially its films and dramas, has gained great popularity and fame. However, there are rising doubts about the current actions of K-media, which seem increasingly focused on profit over purpose, with product placements (PPL) often taking center stage. Critics worry this shift compromises its core values, sidelining accuracy, particularly concerning history, and allowing distortion to become the norm.

 

Cultural Distortion

An example of cultural distortion in K-drama can be found in Vincenzo, a black comedy drama starring popular Korean actors Joongki Song and Yeobeen Jeon. In one scene, bibimbap—one of Korea's national dishes—is shown with packaging labeled in Chinese, giving the impression bibimbap is a Chinese food.

This raises the question: Is it right to risk misunderstandings by presenting Korean culture inaccurately? Netflix and tvN deleted this scene after a strong reaction from viewers. However, just as the saying goes, "You can't unscramble scrambled eggs," deleting the scene won't make a video disappear from memory when it has already been widely broadcasted and shared online.

 

Historical Distortion

Joseon Exorcist is a fantasy drama that misrepresents historical facts. Centered on a battle against living corpses, it generated significant attention before airing due to its unique premise.

However, it was canceled after two episodes due to controversy over historical distortion. One controversial scene involved Grand Prince Chungnyeong, who would go on to become King Sejong in real history, offering a priest Chinese food such as mooncakes and century eggs (fermented duck eggs). The drama also features Chinese-style costumes and props. Additionally, the drama's soundtrack incorporated traditional Chinese stringed instruments like guzheng and guqin. The production company behind Joseon Exorcist apologized but emphasized that the drama is a "fantasy fusion historical drama." However, regardless of the fantasy elements, real historical figures should not be distorted.

 

Distortions Beyond Media

In a context where historical distortions in the media are common, it is unfortunate that such inaccuracies also occur beyond the media itself. In the recent Military Education Textbook, which the Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea has published, the number of victims of Japanese military sexual slavery—commonly referred to as "comfort women"—was changed from 200,000 to a non-specific "very large number of women." Additionally, the description of Dokdo was altered as territorial dispute area when Dokdo is clearly the territory of the Republic of Korea in terms of history, geography, and international law. Also, for Korean History, the textbook scheduled for distribution to high schoolers in 2025, the Center for Historical Truth and Justice has announced that it contains over 300 factual errors.

 

The Path We Must Be Taking in the Future

Why have we been unable to prevent these distortions? Apathy seems to be the primary reason. Failing to be alert to those who arbitrarily distort history has contributed to the problem. With Koreans' history of losing our country, it seems like we are again adopting a complacent attitude towards misrepresentations occurring today. Content created through accurate historical research and fact-checking will ultimately stand the test of time. Furthermore, consumers must make discerning choices to encourage higher quality media production.

 

Reporter,

Hyeonseon Namgung namgung0121@seoultech.ac.kr

Reporter 남궁현선

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• e-mail : namgung0121@seoultech.ac.kr