Cover The most controversial K-dramas are not really about outrage. They’re about accountability (Photo: Disney+)
The most controversial K-dramas are not really about outrage. They’re about accountability (Photo: Disney+)
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From a show cancelled after two episodes to sudden star replacements, these are the controversial K-dramas whose issues became stories in their own right
“Controversial” is an overused word in entertainment. A drama can inspire angry tweets, divide viewers over an ending or attract criticism without necessarily becoming a genuine controversy.
For this list, we're using a narrower definition: K-dramas that generated substantial, documented controversy with consequences beyond ordinary audience criticism. That includes petitions, regulatory complaints, sponsor withdrawals, official apologies, production changes, delayed broadcasts, recasting, reshoots or removal from a market.
That distinction matters because K-drama controversies have changed alongside the industry itself. Some of the biggest disputes of the past decade have centred on Korean historical memory and broadcasting standards. As Korean dramas became increasingly global, however, controversies also began involving how productions depict other countries, cultures and religions—and how quickly international audiences can make their objections heard.
The result is a fascinating, occasionally uncomfortable history of an industry learning what happens when its stories travel much further than the producers originally imagined.
In case you missed it: Alternative history: 12 K-dramas that asked ‘what if...’
1. ‘Backstreet Rookie’ (2020)
Above The adaptation’s attempt to make a mature webtoon suitable for television became a regulatory headache almost immediately
Backstreet Rookie (2020), which features Ji Chang-wook as Choi Dae-hyun and Kim Yoo-jung as Jung Saet-byul, drew controversy almost immediately over its sexualised material and the treatment of its teenage characters.
The drama was adapted from a webtoon rated 19+, but the television adaptation received a 15+ rating. That became a particular point of concern for South Korea’s Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC), which received 6,384 civil complaints—according to contemporary reporting, an unusually high number.
The regulator specifically raised concerns about sexually suggestive language and scenes, the objectification of underage women and whether the material was appropriate for the drama’s rating.
The issue wasn’t simply a matter of viewers disliking the adaptation. The KCSC formally called the production team in to provide an explanation, and some of the disputed scenes were subsequently removed from replay VOD services.
2. ‘The Penthouse 3’ (2021)
Above ‘The Penthouse’ had never exactly been subtle, but Alex Lee’s arrival sparked a very different kind of criticism
The Penthouse 3 (2021), starring Lee Ji-ah as Shim Su-ryeon and Uhm Ki-joon as Joo Dan-tae, became embroiled in a cultural-appropriation controversy when Park Eun-seok introduced a second character, Alex Lee.
Alex, the brother of Park’s existing character Logan Lee, appeared wearing dreadlocks, tattoos, grills and styling that viewers argued relied on African American stereotypes. International viewers criticised the portrayal as cultural appropriation and demanded accountability from the production.
Park Eun-seok subsequently apologised, saying he had come to understand that the character’s styling constituted cultural appropriation. The production team also said it had not intended to mock a specific race or culture.
The episode illustrates an important shift in K-drama controversy: a character could now be scrutinised not only by Korean audiences for domestic cultural sensitivities, but by international viewers with very different historical and cultural reference points.
3. ‘Joseon Exorcist’ (2021)
Above Few K-dramas have ever had such a spectacularly short life—or such a dramatic collapse
Definitely one of the most controversial K-dramas of all time, Joseon Exorcist (2021), with Kam Woo-sung as King Taejong and Jang Dong-yoon as Prince Chungnyeong in the top roles, was cancelled after just two episodes.
The historical fantasy drama drew intense criticism over its depiction of Joseon-era figures and its use of Chinese-style props, food and design elements. Viewers argued that the production distorted Korean history and presented highly regarded historical figures in inappropriate ways.
The backlash escalated rapidly. More than 150,000 people had signed a petition calling for the drama’s cancellation within days, according to The Korea Herald. Sponsors began withdrawing, and the production’s future became untenable.
SBS ultimately announced that it was terminating the broadcasting contract and cancelling the remaining episodes. At the time, only the first two episodes had aired.
It remains one of the clearest examples of K-drama controversies moving from online criticism to an actual production shutdown.
4. ‘Snowdrop’ (2021–2022)
Above Few historical dramas have demonstrated quite so clearly how fictional storytelling can collide with memories that remain politically and emotionally charged
Snowdrop, supposedly the breakthrough of Blackpink’s Jisoo as an actor, became controversial before it had even fully established its story.
Critics argued that the drama’s premise risked romanticising or distorting the history of South Korea’s pro-democracy movement, particularly through the character of Soo-ho (Jung Hae-in), who is initially presented as a North Korean spy connected to the student activist movement.
The backlash intensified after the first episode aired. A Blue House petition calling for the drama’s cancellation surpassed 300,000 signatures, while thousands of complaints were submitted to JTBC and hundreds were filed with the KCSC.
JTBC maintained that the drama was fictional and disputed the interpretation that it glorified the authoritarian regime or distorted the democracy movement.
Unlike Joseon Exorcist, Snowdrop was not cancelled. It aired through its planned run. But the controversy confirmed just how closely Korean audiences continue to scrutinise fictional depictions of the country’s modern political history.
See more: Why ‘Our Sticky Love’ is Jung Hae-in’s most unexpected K-drama yet
5. ‘River Where the Moon Rises’ (2021)
Above Imagine getting six episodes into your historical drama and discovering that your leading man has to be replaced—and then reshooting his scenes
River Where the Moon Rises (2021) became one of the most extraordinary production stories in recent K-drama history after school-violence allegations emerged against Ji Soo, who was cast originally as On Dal.
Ji Soo acknowledged past misconduct and apologised before stepping away from the drama. KBS and production company Victory Contents replaced him with Na In-woo, who took over the role of On Dal.
The extraordinary part was the amount of material that had already been filmed. Victory Contents said approximately 95 per cent of the drama had been completed, meaning that replacing its male lead wasn’t simply a matter of shooting a few new scenes.
The production ultimately reshot scenes, with other cast members, including leading lady Kim So-hyun, participating again. The financial consequences were substantial enough that the production company later pursued damages from Ji Soo’s former agency. A court case over those costs ultimately ended with a final award of more than KRW880 million.
6. ‘Dear. M’ (2022)
Above Sometimes a controversy doesn’t kill a drama. It simply leaves it sitting on a shelf until everyone has moved on
Dear. M was scheduled to premiere on KBS in February 2021.
However, the premiere was postponed shortly before broadcast after bullying allegations involving Park Hye-soo, who was supposed to play the lead Ma Joo-ah, emerged. KBS said at the time that the allegations remained disputed and were under investigation, but postponed the drama while monitoring developments.
The drama eventually received an international release in 2022, but its domestic broadcast remained in limbo. KBS did not air the series in South Korea until 2025, nearly four years after its original premiere date.
Unlike River Where the Moon Rises, the drama wasn’t rebuilt around a replacement lead. It simply became a time capsule of a different moment in the Korean entertainment industry’s reckoning with school-violence allegations.
7. ‘Taxi Driver’ (2021)
Above The 2021 school-bullying controversy was so disruptive that it hit multiple productions at once
By the time Taxi Driver began filming, Lee Je-hoon was already established as its star, playing Kim Do-gi, while Lee Na-eun was cast as hacker Ahn Go-eun. Then allegations involving Lee Na-eun and her former April bandmate Lee Hyun-joo brought the production into an unexpected casting crisis.
Lee Na-eun’s agency denied the allegations and said it would pursue legal action. But as the controversy intensified, SBS and the production team ultimately decided to remove her from Taxi Driver. Pyo Ye-jin stepped into the role, with the production reshooting Lee Na-eun’s scenes.
The timing made the decision particularly costly: around 60 per cent of the drama had already been filmed, according to reports. Pyo Ye-jin therefore had to enter a production already well underway, while the rest of the cast returned to shoot scenes that had already been completed.
The controversy surrounding Taxi Driver was ultimately resolved on screen—the drama premiered with Pyo Ye-jin in the role—but the production became another example of how quickly allegations involving a cast member could turn into a practical problem for an entire television production.
8. ‘Little Women’ (2022)
Above A Korean drama about three sisters became the subject of a diplomatic and historical dispute over its depiction of the Vietnam War
Little Women (2022) seems innocent enough, but it generated controversy in Vietnam over dialogue concerning South Korea's role in the Vietnam War.
Vietnamese authorities argued that statements in episodes three and eight distorted historical events and violated Vietnamese media laws. The Vietnamese Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information requested that the drama be removed from Netflix Vietnam.
Netflix subsequently removed the series from its Vietnamese service. The production side later apologised and said it would take greater care with social sensitivities and its production process in the future.
The show, which starred Kim Go-eun as Oh In-joo, Nam Ji-hyun as Oh In-kyung and Park Ji-hu as Oh In-hye, demonstrated Hallyu’s global influence. A historical reference that might be interpreted one way in Korea can carry an entirely different—and much heavier—meaning in another country.
9. ‘Genie, Make a Wish’ (2025)
Above The controversy surrounding Netflix’s fantasy romance raised a complicated question: where does creative fantasy end and religious representation begin?
Before Kim Woo-bin’s Iblis and Bae Suzy’s Ka-young could settle into their unlikely romance, Genie, Make a Wish, otherwise known as All the Love You Wish For, had already attracted attention for the mythology behind its male lead.
The drama identifies Kim Woo-bin’s character as Iblis, a figure with a specific place in Islamic tradition, rather than simply using an unnamed genie or fictional supernatural being. In the series, however, Iblis is reimagined as a fantastical, romantic character whose story becomes intertwined with Ka-young.
That distinction became central to criticism from Muslim viewers and commentators. The concern was not simply that a Korean drama had used the idea of a genie. Jinn, or djinn, and Iblis are not interchangeable concepts in Islamic theology, and viewers questioned the decision to take a religious figure with an established theological context and place him inside a romantic fantasy narrative.
The controversy was further complicated by the show’s decision to use Islamic terminology with its own fictional mythology. Rather than presenting a direct adaptation of Islamic tradition, Genie, Make a Wish created its own supernatural universe around familiar religious concepts, leaving some Muslim viewers uncomfortable with the liberties taken.
The series nevertheless became a major Netflix release, putting the discussion in front of an audience far beyond Korea. And that may be the most revealing part of the story: a fantasy premise that might once have existed primarily within the conventions of Korean television was now being examined by viewers who recognised the religious references from their own traditions.
See more: 10 K-drama couples who starred in more than one series
Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
