Thread by @gatamchun

He definitely said some words at the presscon that were pretty meaningless. He tried to argue “we’re just using the setting, this isn’t about history, it’s a fictional romance.” Meanwhile every single character description mentions concrete historical events.

https://twitter.com/lacelland/status/1472004507148046336

The company also tried to argue back in March that the drama is about the 1987 election, not the 1987 student protests (aka the June Struggle). This argument is complete nonsense.

https://twitter.com/gatamchun/status/1471706215877341185?s=21

Because we see it for what it is. Because we lived and learned this history and we know what is happening in Korea right now. Because this is not just fiction *to us.*
If you don’t understand then stay in your lane.

https://twitter.com/kpopthumbs/status/1472022335976841220

Ppl keep saying this isn’t about history yet the actor Jung Hae-in certainly made a big deal about how historically accurate and detailed all the props and sets were in his Harper’s Bazaar interview

https://twitter.com/gatamchun/status/1471950037811105792

The National Security Agency, the 12.12 incident, the Korean student population in Berlin during the Cold War - these details are all mentioned in the character profiles and those are all real. They happened. They aren’t mermaids.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472022335976841220

The story isn’t real because it’s government propaganda. It’s literally a parroting of what the 1980s government told people to justify their atrocities. “NK spies are hiding amongst the students!” This was the narrative and some people still think this TO THIS DAY.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472031363142496258

It’s literally recreating a traumatic narrative that justifies what the NSA said they “had to do,” and not shockingly it also features NSA officials who are described as “principled” and “upright.” It may acknowledge the NSA was bad but tries to say there were still good people.

If I wrote a K-drama, to be broadcast on Netflix, where four bitchy girls called Heesu, Rosa, Jenna, and Lina debuted as a K-pop group under the agency YnG, and they all fucking hated each other and were awful people, would you be cool with that? I mean it’s fiction, so.

https://twitter.com/kpopthumbs/status/1472022335976841220

Coming soon on Netflix: fictional drama titled “Shitshow” about a hot new girl group PinkBlack, comprised of four total trainwreck humans who are forced to maintain a perfect facade for their fandom (called Plinks).

You’re cool with that right?

“Your tweets are propaganda”
I didn’t realize I constitute an authoritarian government all on my own

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472033790025420802

Lmao ok keep telling yourself you’ll be fine with a drama that attempts to shit on your fave when you can’t handle a single twitter account that raises some objections

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472034841239732228

Propaganda is usually, overwhelmingly even, prepared by governments. Authoritarian ones. Even if it’s not published BY the government, it relies on material prepared BY the government.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472035967280332807

My parents showed me how the government lied to everyone and told them students were communist spies. They understood how fiction shaped national and international perception. Accused victims were ostracized by their own families until they were declared innocent.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472036791159074825

This post from the Korean Film Archive is a great condensed history of how deeply anti-communist sentiment was embedded in Korean media throughout the Cold War, and how that has had consequences till today.

artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/korean…

Whatever makes you feel better for ignoring Korean history and trauma

https://twitter.com/kpopthumbs/status/1472038684937572352

Sweetheart there was an entire slew of conservative politicians who *literally* refused to go watch Parasite because they said it was a leftist drama.
But guess whose tune changed when that movie got an American award???

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472041735257833486

Same with SQUID GAME. I have little doubt that the motor company union subplot would have been blasted by Conservatives except the global audience loved it so much. Do you see how international viewership directly impacts the domestic discourse?

(Details on motor company union subplot here)

https://twitter.com/gatamchun/status/1445842978820472835

Btw it was extremely hilarious to watch conservatives be super lukewarm about Bong Joon-ho pre-Oscars and then suggest that there be a Bong Joon-ho statue in his hometown post-Oscars

Because conservatives are full of shit

Which reminds me Bong was also literally on a mid-2010s “Cultural Blacklist” made by the then-conservative president’s office because he was deemed a leftist

The conservaticve president being the daughter of one of the dictators we’ve been discussing these past few days

https://twitter.com/koryodynasty/status/1215078552246210560

I’m sorry. You’re right, I shouldn’t be mean to conservatives. That’s not fair, even if they framed hundreds of innocents as communist spies and destroyed lives.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472049174703190017

They’re completely right, folks. I am biased towards the left. Growing up and learning about unspeakable things your parents went thru will do that to a gal. Take my word at your discretion.

Before anyone objects further let me make clear:
I’m biased toward the Far Left-Wing in Korea, which historically demanded true democracy through direct elections, fair worker’s rights, and is now the political party that supports feminism and LGBTQ rights.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472049174703190017

Based on this irrefutable evidence, the Korean Far Left, which by the way is the ONLY political party in South Korea that fully supports feminism, protection for women against violence, and LGBTQ rights, is basically entirely comprised of BTS’s fandom, AKA Army.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472050317604933632

I am sorry for subjecting everyone to radical left-wing propaganda, AKA Army Fandom.

And what political agenda does BP represent? Anti-communism? Students were actually NK spies? NSA was right?

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472051505528197123

Thank you @blackpinkthumbs for pointing out my decidedly left-wing politics, and my left-wing propaganda. I am proud to support radical concepts like direct election democracy, worker’s rights, feminism, and LGBTQ rights.

Sorry if that isn’t your jam 😔

Hey @blackpinkthumbs if you want the conservative perspective to balance me out, you can go ahead and check them out in the anti-immigrant, homophobic, misogynist, authoritarian-friendly corner of Korean politics!

Sorry but you did say you didn’t like how I was biased toward the left 😞

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472055667162816522?s=21

Ok. I’m sorry. I’ll stop telling people about the history of Korean democratization, the violence my parents and their friends experienced, and #Jisoo’s new drama #Snowdrop is recreating a narrative that justified that violence.

https://twitter.com/blackpinkthumbs/status/1472057451138715649

(Guys don’t tell her but I’m gonna keep doing it)

I’m sorry I’m using my, uh, unverified twitter dot com platform to promote biased left-wing views like direct democracy and, um, anti-torture.

No one’s forcing you to interact with my tweets either baby
Cruise along and bask in your ignorance, I can’t make you grow decency

https://twitter.com/guzman4_shara/status/1472097906735865859

And I’m doing this because this is personal, a history that deeply impacted my family, and regardless of whether I watch it the fact that it will be broadcast widely across the world means that a distorted version of events will be the one that gets the bigger platform.

https://twitter.com/guzman4_shara/status/1472115783245471744

Please let Koreans with actual personal stakes have a say in this story.