The popular tvN drama "Goblin" got a major leap in its ratings on Jan. 06, Friday as it aired its 11th episode. Despite its growing popularity, the Gong Yoo starrer is being criticized by many for it tendency of stereotyping women characters.
According to Nielsen Korea, as cited by Soompi, popular K-drama "Goblin," which is also known as "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God," have hit a TV rating of 15 percent, topping at 17.2 percent during the 11th episode.
According to a drama review posted on The Kpop Herald, the drama "Goblin" which is breakling records frpom the very beginning of the drama is highly criticized for stereotyping, it seems like "women are meant to be the damsel in distress"; they can never be the hero, according to the post.
It is not so with other Korean dramas, in other dramas you would find strong independent woman characters, but in the popular tvN series you would find the female lead downtrodden and naïve.
Culture critic Ha Jae-Geun said, "Female viewers find comfort in these characters." Ha further added: "But their very support of such characters could lead to a decline in women's social status." Moreover the paedophilic love story in the drama did not go down well with the viewers.
TV critic Hwang Jin-Mi said "The system of fantasy blocks any guilt and allows viewers to accept, without being repulsed, the romance between a minor and an older man." Hwang added: "But the image of a young girl ... hanging onto a rich, 30-something man ... lingers."
The tvN drama was also criticized for excessive product placement which is distracting. As the story continues in the drama, it is seen, "Ji Eun Tak faces the ghost of a cunning and manipulative eunuch from the Goryeo Dynasty, Park Joong Won (Kim Byung Chul), who drove Kim Shin and her younger sister Kim Sun (Kim So Hyun) to their deaths," Yibada reported.
Fans are hoping that Park Joong Won's appearance in the drama will bring about some new twists and turns for the lead stars of the drama.
