Korean conservatives protest broadcasting of BL TV series “Love in the Big City”

THE Korean BL drama series “Love in the Big City” will soon be available for streaming, and it is one that you definitely don’t want to miss. 

The 8-part K-drama will be available for viewing via the South Korean subscription video-on-demand service, TVING. It will also be available for streaming in most regions via the website Viki.

It is based on the 2019 novel of the same name, which looks at the story of a young man living with HIV while living in Seoul with his best friend, Jaehee.

Prior to the release of the series, a film version of the novel was released. This film featured Kim Go Eun and Noh Sang Hyun as Jae Hee and Heung Soo, respectively.

The drama’s official synopsis shows that it will follow characters Go Young, a gay man, and Mi Ae, a straight woman. 

“Through Mi Ae’s eyes, Go Young embarks on a journey of personal growth,” it reads.

“He struggles with his relationship with his mother, who’s in denial about his sexual orientation, and is forced to part ways with his lover Gyu Ho due to societal pressure. Recovering from his breakup, Go Young takes a trip to Thailand with a stranger and manages to learn more about himself in the process.”

The cast is as follows:

• Nam Yoon Su as Go Yeong
• Lee Soo Kyung as Mi Ae
• Jin Ho Eun as Gyu Ho
• Oh Hyun Kung as Eun Suk
• Kwon Hyuk as Nam Gyu
• Lee Se Hee
• Lee Hyun So
• Byun Jun Seo
• Na Hyun Woo
• Seo Tae Woong

Teen Vogue reports that each episode will have a run time of 50 minutes, and like the book, will be divided into four acts. Each act will look at a particular period in Go Young’s life, and each arc will have two episodes.

This series is set to release on October 21, but not everyone is welcoming it with open arms.

Conservative groups protest

As per the website Pink Villa, many conservative groups in South Korea are calling to cancel the broadcast of the show because they feel that watching it would negatively affect their children, both physically and mentally.

They were particularly shocked when they viewed the trailer of the drama, which featured scenes of nudity, deep kissing, and physical intimacy between people of the same sex. They said that it was “unbearable to watch.”

As per a spokesperson from parent association groups: “It is terrifying that a government agency, responsible for raising awareness about the rising rates of HIV/AIDS among youth, disregards its ethical and moral responsibilities and uses taxes to support dramas that promote and glamorize homosexuality.”

All teasers for the show were then made private on October 12, to be re-released after a re-review from the Korean Media Rating Board (KMRB). The production team of the show explained that it was because the show was not considered suitable for youth viewing.

Pink Villa notes, however, that the trailer had already complied with OTT’s own rating classification, which meant that it no longer needed KMRB’s reviews.

The author of the original novel, Park Sangyoung, also shared that they were being targeted by a certain organization, and were getting flooded with complaints.

Despite these protests, however, he reassures that no matter what may happen, it will still premiere on the 21st.

On X, he wrote: “In the end, we will win.”

During the protests held against their drama, religious groups wrote on their sign: “Inspect the Korea Contents Association as the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and Culture wastes tax-payers money to support a homosexual drama.”

Many netizens online have also come to show their support for both the film and the show, calling these protesters “promoters” given that so many people are learning about these pieces of media through them. 

The website Koreaboo quotes one Korean netizen who writes: “They’re acting up so much. Look at how they’re flailing around trying to move backward when the world is moving forward.”

“I’m also Christian, but God said to leave people alone and told us to love our enemies,” another wrote.

“Why are they not following it?”