Protests Erupt from Religious Group Over Same-Gender Love in ‘Love In The Big City’ Drama Adaptation

The film “Love In The Big City”hit theaters in South Korea on October 8, 2024, featuring acclaimed actress Kim Go-eun, recognized for her role in “Exhuma,”alongside Noh Sang-hyun from the “Pachinko”series. This film serves as a cinematic adaptation of a popular Korean drama sharing the same title, which is set to debut on October 21, with Nam Yoon-soo in the leading role.

On October 14, news broke on the Korean online platform TheQoo regarding protests held by a religious group against the anticipated drama’s release. Both the movie and its drama version portray the journey of a closeted gay man navigating love and life in bustling Seoul.

This religious organization has voiced concerns against the K-drama, arguing that it promotes same-sex relationships. Protesters took to the streets of Seoul, holding banners that called on the South Korean Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and Culture to prevent the drama from airing, accusing the ministry of misusing taxpayers’ funds for creating “controversial”media.

A notable protest sign declared:

“Examine the Korea Contents Association as the Ministry of Tourism, Sports, and Culture wastes tax-payers’ money to back a homosexual drama!”

Furthermore, the group criticized the South Korean entertainment firm C-JeS Studio for allegedly endorsing homosexuality.

Love In The Big City: Synopsis, cast, release date, and more details

The film features Noh Sang-hyun as Heung-soo and Kim Go-eun as his close companion Jae-hee. “Love In The Big City,”known in Korean as 대도시의 사랑법, draws inspiration from Park Sang-young’s bestselling novel published in 2019. It had its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on October 8, while the K-drama adaptation will be available on TVING and Viki.

The forthcoming 8-episode K-drama revolves around Go-young, a gay man who cohabitates with a woman named Mi-ae. Rejected by his mother for his sexual orientation, Go-young finds himself expelled from his home and faces the end of his relationship with Gyu-ho. The storyline centers on Go-young’s quest for self-acceptance and his fight for the right to love openly.

Jin Ho-eun is set to portray Go-young’s romantic interest, known for previous performances in “All of Us Are Dead”and “Shooting Stars.”The ensemble cast also includes Kwon Hyuk, famous for “The New Employee”and “The Point Man,”and Na Hyun-woo from “Uncle Samsik.”Additional supporting roles are played by Kim Won-joong, Oh Hyun-kyung, and Lee Soo-kyung.

A distinguished team of directors, including Heo Jin-ho, Hong Ji-young, Son Taek-yeom, and Kim Se-in, has taken the reins for the K-drama. The 8 episodes are structured into four acts that illustrate Go-young’s (played by Nam Yoon-soo) development and quest for identity. However, following the backlash from the religious group, the official trailer for the K-drama was removed from various platforms.

Author Park Sang-young expressed his discontent with the protests from Korean netizens over the narrative. He has opted not to remove the trailer from his Instagram feed. The official trailer for “Love In The Big City”K-drama can still be found on the Instagram accounts of Park Sang-young and actor Jin Ho-eun, as well as on the Viki streaming service.

The drama adaptation of “Love In The Big City”is set to premiere on TVING and Viki on October 21, 2024.

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