'Snowdrop': Controversial K-Drama Starring Blackpink's Jisoo Hits Lowest Ratings Amid Backlash

Ratings of Korean drama "Snowdrop" plummeted during Christmas time amid a strong backlash calling for its cancelation.

The drama, starring Blackpink's Jisoo and Jung Hae-In, received ratings of 1.853% on Dec. 24 – a sharp drop from the last episode's ratings of 3.898%, according to Nielsen Korea. The following day, its rating continued to plunge to 1.689%, the lowest since it began airing on Dec. 18.

TV network JTBC, which airs the show in South Korea, announced last week that it will air three new episodes on Dec. 24, 25 and 26. However, viewers were unsatisfied with the network's action, which resulted in a massive drop in ratings.

"Snowdrop" is a romance drama set in 1987. It follows the story of Su Ho (Jung) and Young Ro (Jisoo) who meet and fall in love amid chaotic street protests. The series begins with a bloodied North Korean spy, Su Ho, rushing into a women's university dorm as he evades authorities. University student Young Ro takes care of him and hides him from authorities.

After the series' first episode was aired, a petition was filed demanding authorities to stop the airing of "Snowdrop." The petition accused the series of distortion of history, disparaging the 1987 pro-democracy movement and improving the image of North Korean spies and the former Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP), a government agency linked with the torture and deaths of activists during the time.

The petition has so far garnered over 300,000 signatures.

A citizen organization, the Declaration of Global Citizens in Korea, also filed a petition before the Seoul Western District Court on Dec. 22 demanding the cancelation of the JTBC drama. The group said the drama has misleading content. "Snowdrop" is aired on Disney+ for the international audience.

JTBC had already explained to viewers that the drama was fictional and its characters did not represent government organizations. Despite this, public outcry against the drama continues to pour in, which has even resulted in sponsorship withdrawals from the show's advertisers.