SBS’s Korean drama Joseon Exorcist recently aired and received strong ratings in the first week of its release. However, after the release of only two episodes of the originally planned 16 episodes, the show was scheduled to be cancelled. The show received highly critical feedback for numerous reasons, and many from the general public demanded its cancellation.
Why was the drama cancelled?
While receiving good reviews from its first episode, many were angry about the inaccurate representation of Korean history. They were also angry due to the inclusion of Chinese props. This is due to the ongoing issue between Korea and China regarding the origin of Kimchi, Hanbok, and Pansori. These are highly regarded in Korean culture, and currently, there is an intense conflict between the two countries.
Initially, the drama was only supposed to be pulled off for a week. However, it seems that Joseon Exorcist will end for good. Another primary reason would be that the Jeonju Lee Royal Family Association called out SBS and demanded the show to be pulled off air. The Royal Family Association is made up of descendants of the royal Lee clan of Joseon. In their statement, they mentioned that they want the drama to be pulled off-air due to the distortion of Korean history and the favorable treatment towards the Chinese.
The clan also mentioned that many official royal names were taken by the drama and placed into an untrue narrative, leading to significant controversies. Casting the family in harmful lights was problematic. As the drama was airing internationally as well, this could shed a negative light on the clan.
Thread of what happened in Korea that led up to the potential cancellation of #JoseonExorcist + hate to the cast of #MrQueen
(Note this is only to spread awareness of what’s going on. While I’m upset about the situation I hope i-fans will at least have a clear understanding,-
— 𝘊𝘰𝘸𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯🐮🐲 (@kdramasekki) March 25, 2021
Is there any chance of revival of Joseon Exorcist?
After the initial cancellation of the drama, no word has been given about it returning on air. Due to the large amount of controversy it garnered, it does not seem like the drama will return. Even if it does, there is a chance it may continue receiving negative publicity, which will eventually cause the drama to fail.
For now, no more updates have been given.