Disney Plus has announced that Korean melodrama “Snowdrop,” which was previously only available to stream in Asia and Australia, will premiere on its U.S. platform on Feb. 9.
Set in 1987, the 16-episode K-drama explores the dangerous love between a North Korean spy (played by “Tune in for Love” star Jung Hae-In) and a college student (played by Blackpink’s Jisoo) amid South Korea’s democracy movement. As the two fall into a romantic relationship, they must overcome obstacles that threaten to put everyone’s safety at risk.
“Snowdrop” is Jisoo’s first lead role in a K-drama and she expressed her excitement and gratitude in a behind-the-scenes video on the official YouTube channel of JTBC, the South Korean network that produced the series. She heartwarmingly tells her fans that shooting the drama felt unreal and thanks her costar, Jung Hae-in, for guiding her through her first lead role in a drama.
“Today was the last day of filming since we had been shooting for a year and it still doesn’t feel real. I think reality will hit in a couple of days. I worked very hard and I hope that you can all enjoy the drama and give it lots of love,” says the 27-year-old in the video. “Jung had a lot of tough scenes but he worked hard and guided me for my first lead role, giving me enough strength to film.”
Although “Snowdrop” has managed to draw positive reviews, it has recently swept in controversy due to historical inaccuracies. According to a group of scholars and professors, a North Korean spy would not have been involved in the pro-democracy movement during Chun Doo-hwan’s dictatorship in South Korea, and many protestors went through treacherous ordeals after being falsely accused as North Korean spies. Many believe that the K-drama lightens the reality of what happened during the democratization movement and devalues the efforts that many activists went through to fight for the nation’s democracy.
In response, JTBC stated that the K-drama is fictional and is meant to highlight the individual stories of the characters and the obstacles they face. They also claimed that viewers would better understand once they finished watching the entire series.
Despite the controversy, “Snowdrop” reached an all-time high rating on its finale episode and has been among the top five most-watched titles on Asia-Pacific markets on Disney Plus within five weeks of its premiere on the streaming service.
Feature Image via Korean Swag
