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After the premiere of Netflix K-drama See You In My 19th Life's latest episode on Thursday, June 29, the show garnered a lot of negative attention and criticism for its controversial stances. A certain scene in the series' latest episode showcased the female protagonist, who's currently living her 19th life with the memories of all her past lives, talking about living as an Arab man in her fourth life.
In the episode, the protagonist also continued to claim that she discovered the famous alcoholic drink, Arak (commonly drank in the Middle East), which spread across a few countries to evolve into modern-day alcohol, like Soju in Korea, for example.
Many Iranian netizens were angered by this historical misrepresentation, since it was neither accurate nor factual. They expressed that the person who actually discovered alcohol was Iranian and not Arab and that this misrepresentation of their history was not welcomed at all:
"Do not sell our credit to anyone for money, you have no right to do so": Netizens angry at Netflix's See You In My 19th Life for the misrepresentation of Iranian history
See You In My 19th Life is a K-drama that revolves around the story of a woman who has lived through her eighteen lives and has entered her nineteenth life carrying all her past memories. While her eighteenth life was cut short after she met with a car accident, she plans to meet the man she spent her life with then in her current life.
In See You In My 19th Life's latest episode, there was an interview scene where the female protagonist, Ban Ji-eum (played by Shin Hye-sun), was asked about her knowledge of the several languages she listed, which also included Arabic. To expand on the same, she gives a backstory of her life as an Arab man during her fourth reincarnation. This is also where she makes her claim that she was the inventor of the alcoholic drink, Arak.
Upon viewing the episode, many Iranians expressed that their history was distorted and falsely represented through this narrative. According to Iran's history, Arak was first discovered by a well-known alchemist, Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Zakariyyā al-Rāzī, otherwise known as Razi. It was also documented that he discovered sulfuric acid and ethanol, where the latter stands as a major ingredient in the making of other alcoholic drinks like vodka, tequila, Soju, etc.
People were naturally angered at the misrepresentation to present Razi as Arab instead of Iranian, and they were also upset to watch See You In My 19th Life take away one of the most touchstone moments in Iranian history by showcasing it as a part of Arab history.
Given that the show was put forth by Netflix and tVn, netizens expressed that the effort to understand and correctly represent Middle Eastern history was not seen in the show's production:
With much controversy surrounding the show's problematic stance, fans hope for an effective explanation for the same to showcase respect for Iranian culture and history.
