International furor has arisen due to a new drama that MBC has recently begun airing. The drama “The Man Who Lives to Die” takes place in the 1970s and follows the journey of Saayd Faad Ali (Choi Min-soo) who left to the Middle East years ago to start a small empire but finds his way back to South Korea to reconnect with his long-lost daughter.
The apology, which was released in three different languages, states that the story, place, and characters are completely fictional, that the network “has no intention in distorting any particular religion, culture or people” and “expresses sincere regrets and formal apologies to the viewers who have been [offended] watching the drama”
However, the alleged convolution of Muslim and Arabic culture that may have served as a basis for the show and the inclusion of the Quran (in poster) and Hijab as a narrative props have infuriated and inspired many to reject the MBC’s apology.
With the drama having ranked in the top 10 most viewed programs for its past four episodes nationwide and in Seoul many of the fears voiced seemed to be well founded.
MBC has not released any news or plans that may affect the future of the program in the face of complaints.
by O.C
