renmilktoast

A very good point. It's one reason I try to withhold judgement and not form any opinion about something I know I'm uneducated about. Well... I'm sure I fail at this and do it plenty, but I want to try to educate myself before forming opinions in the future.

Thank you for the recommendation! That book sounds very educational about the cultural landscape of that time.

K-dramas can certainly be very misleading, I've rarely gotten the impression from the historical dramas I've seen that women weren't allowed outside their property. Seems most dramas neglect this.

The only one I remember that portrayed this was Knight Flower, but I was under the impression that this was chiefly due to the female lead being a widow. Still, it's good that the producers put time into showing the way women were mistreated in that time of history, it's clearly something more people need to be educated about. Perhaps we'll see even more dramas address this in the future.

I appreciate you saying that. I don't claim to be an expert on Korean culture, of course not because I wasn't born there and don't live there. But I've tried to learn about it, not just through dramas but watching Korean vloggers, reading blogs, and even learning the language. I tried to understand and be respectful of Korean culture. So it was pretty offensive to be told that I was just being a "white knight" and a "weirdo" simply because I was explaining something I understood to be relevant to Korean culture, to someone who seemed to be ignoring Korean values completely.

Very much agree. Explicit sex scenes are never going to be something I believe enriches the watching experience of dramas. I've said many times to others that those scenes rarely further the plot, because let's face it, if sex is relevant to the plot, simply implying it will do the same thing as showing it explicitly. No one needs to see it to understand that it exists and know that it happened.

It sounds like Ming Dynasty managed to address the issue of mistreatment of women well and with tact. That topic absolutely should be heartbreaking, and just as you said, explicit scenes aren't the way to reach into the hearts of viewers.

Exactly so. Most of the "discussion" I've had in comment sections on MDL came down to name calling and crazy accusations. Imagine my shock when I had a very civil, intelligent conversation on the forum with someone who disagreed with me yet didn't resort to those tactics.

It's a bit surprising to hear about a C-Drama depicting those kinds of scenes. It's a bit hypocritical to censor BL content and then allow rape scenes.

I've tried to explain to others that strict censorship laws are not the only reason K-dramas have a history of being wholesome and moral, and that Korea's own culture and values and conservatism have impacted the content of K-dramas greatly. But I was simply accused of "white knighting for a culture I'm not a part of" lol. Thank you for sharing your perspective and insight about the issue.

I have mixed feelings about showing mistreatment of women... it existed in ancient times and it exists today, it would be a mistake to leave it out of all dramas and pretend it doesn't exist, but I believe it should be filmed very tactfully, nothing explicit is necessary to show that mistreatment has happened and that it's wrong...

That's my concern as well. I realize that probably a lot of Korean producers would be making more explicit and darker content regardless of western influence, but I hope people don't pretend that plenty of the dramas releasing on western platforms *feel* very western. I believe a lot of Korean producers make content that specifically portrays Korean culture and ideals and I don't want to lose that.

I've heard of Meet Yourself before, in fact a friend recommended it to me, so now that's two people suggesting I try it. I might give it a go sometime, thanks for the rec! :)
A K-drama remake of Go Ahead?? I've never heard of it, do share the details!
Circle is crazy underrated and one of my favorites of all time, I hope you enjoy it <3

Not sure if this is relevant or not, but I thought it was worth mentioning that a lot of MDL's articles seem to be based on Naver articles, so it's entirely possible that the opinions expressed in this article aren't MDL's at all, but the Korean people who wrote the original source articles.

Pretty sure most of these MDL articles are translated chiefly from Korean articles, guys. If you have a problem with it, you might want to take it up with the original articles on Naver.

Kinda getting tired of everyone acting like weird westerners who mistakenly believe Korean people don't have sex are the only people who had a problem with this drama lol. I guess people don't realize there have been plenty of *Korean people* objecting to it.

I think you completely missed the point of the comment you're replying to, tbh...

OP is clearly referring to those commenters saying that if someone doesn't enjoy sex scenes, they haven't grown up yet (yes, people are literally saying that on MDL, using those exact words). OP literally never implied Koreans don't have sex lol so idk why you're saying all that.

"but not actually respond to any of the points I made." What? Literally what? I clearly addressed your white knighting accusation, AND your feeling the need to inform me about the content of Korean movies which I had already plainly stated in not one, but TWO of my previous comments.

Yeah, I had the energy to reply twice in a row, but not the energy to respond to every single point you made when there is clearly no purpose in it. You're determined to see me as a weirdo and a white knight...why in the world would I want to debate you when you resort to name-calling and insults to get your point across?

Also, I literally said this in my comment: "They make explicit movies and have been for years." Did you even read my comment? Why did you feel the need to tell me "their movies have always included this kind of material" when I literally already said it?

Lastly, why are you accusing me of being a white knight here? What exactly do you call this: "And who tf are you and these other people commenting to tell them what they should and shouldnt be making or tell them that this is them trying to be western" If that's not being a white knight, what is?

Tbh there's a lot more I could say about your comment but I feel like you're not even interested in having a civil discussion with me so I'll stop there. Feels like you just want to vent and cuss me out and I don't have the energy for that.

"But keep being a little weirdo trying to white knight for a culture that you're not a part of"

Well, I see debating you isn't going to go anywhere since all you can do is resort to name-calling to make your point lol. I don't know why I even tried. Nothing I said was wrong, it was all factual information about South Korea, but if you already knew all of it you could've just said so, I don't know why you're getting so unhinged tbh...

Uh... I didn't watch any of the episodes, I simply read the comment section?? Also, did you even look up the definition of gaslighting before you commented? You're so weird lollll

Tbh if you have to pretend something doesn't exist for the sake of making a point, I'm not sure how solid your argument really is, but I guess there's no point in debating about it.

But the "Asian morals" thing you mentioned? It's called Confucianism, which reflects in SK's modern culture as conservatism. Yeah, Korean people have sex lives. They make explicit movies and have been for years. They make and watch porn. Their culture has grown more secular by the day. But please, for the love of God stop implying that so called "Asian morals" are something westerners invented because of some huge misunderstanding of Korean culture based on their TV censorship laws. Modesty, purity, and emphasis on filial duty are all a part of Korea's own freaking culture and have been for hundreds of years.

Also, censorship does not prevent Korean dramas airing on TV from including sex, they just can't show everything/make it explicit. So why on earth are there so many dramas that didn't feel the need to include sex at all, when it was perfectly legal to do so within certain (censored) parameters? Could it be because their culture is just a bit different from western cultures?? (and not purely because of censorship laws?) Yall really out here acting like Korea doesn't have its own unique culture lol and it's kind of funny.

You're exactly right, it's not western to have sex! Korean people do it all the time (I mean, I assume they do, seeing as how Korean people continue to be born...)

But sadly... the issue was never about people having sex. It's about showing sex onscreen, which Korean dramas have a reputation for not doing. The entire issue has nothing to do with Korean individuals and everything to do with their television. (Specifically their television though, because everyone knows Korea has been making explicit movies for ages.)

Sweet little romcoms like My Mister, Signal, Life, Circle, and Stranger, you mean? I have quite a few more I could list...

(tbh I get your point and I'm one of those people who already knew how explicit Korean movies could be so don't attack me pls. I'm just tired of people acting like there's two types of dramas--those with explicit sex, versus the fluffy romances--when nothing could be further from the truth)

I debated heavily about even logging back in to MDL to comment, but I just wanted to say I actually agree with some key points in this article.

Explicit scenes are never necessary. They're not inspiring, thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating, and they usually do less than nothing for furthering the plot. If they do happen to be relevant to the plot, they can be filmed in a more tactful way that limits viewership less, which leads me to... These types of scenes limit viewership. Think about it. How many people will out and out refuse to watch a drama because it *lacks* explicit scenes?? Probably not many (I never heard anyone refusing to watch Goblin, Hotel Del Luna, or Crash Landing on You because they lacked explicit sex scenes). Inversely, how many people won't watch a drama that *has* explicit scenes? There are quite a few (youth AND adults).

And I'm sorry, but defending explicit scenes in the name of "historical accuracy" doesn't work for me. Children were enslaved and r*ped in ancient times, does that mean it should be shown in a drama? The answer to that is an obvious *never.* People also took dumps in ancient times, but I doubt anyone would enjoy watching that on their tv screens. (Tbh I don't think actors, especially female actors, should ever be expected to film explicit scenes, either.)

And if the argument is "Korean people have sex too!" (something I never once debated??) ...just keep in mind that a lot of the people objecting to this drama are Korean people :)

Apparently those of us who object to explicit content in K-dramas are in the minority (at least on MDL) and therefore get accused of not having "grown up yet" and get put down and insulted, no matter how respectfully we share our opinion. I've never attacked anyone or acted trollish about this issue, yet I've been accused of gaslighting and called ridiculous. It's the reason I left MDL and the reason I hesitated to ever get back on. I've got my own problems in my life and I have no energy to debate people who resort to name-calling and personal attacks to defend their argument. (Just remember that if you reply to this comment or any of my others I may or may not see them)

So, @ the writer of this article, despite all the hate it will receive, I actually think it's a good article. I don't see what's so bad or unprofessional about it tbh, it's probably based on a Korean article like many of the ones on MDL are.

Edit: before any other strange folks decide to call me a hypocrite for watching a drama I object to, please note that I have *not* watched this drama. I've read the comment section on MDL and read articles which detailed the explicit content that's in it. I am specifically disappointed about it because I was *planning* on watching it, and now *won't* due to the explicit scenes. (Honestly... why would I watch a drama I know to have explicit content when I don't like explicit content? kinda only an idiot would do that lol)

Maturity is most definitely not the issue. I think you meant to use the word "taste" or "preference." Like another commenter here pointed out, plenty of adults don't want to watch people f*** on their tv screens. Has nothing to do with maturity.

Lowkey calling everyone who doesn't like to watch people bang in a drama immature or childish. Not the most intelligent argument, is it?

I will probably regret getting involved in this debate again but a quick PSA: If people have a *constructive* reason for protesting nudity and/or sex in a drama, they are allowed to give it a low rating and they are allowed to complain.

In many cases, nudity/sex scenes are there for shock value. They don't add anything to the plot, they don't enrich the watching experience, they're not thought provoking or intellectually stimulating. They limit viewership to the people who like that kind of thing, and they also come with lots of unnecessary complications for the young actresses involved in filming them.

Also, MDL rates this drama 18+ for violence and profanity, NOT for nudity or sex. Just FIY.