Fans call for boycott of popular K-drama for ‘thinly veiled references’ to Israel’s war on Gaza

A popular Korean drama on South Korea’s MBC channel is under fire on social media this week for making “thinly veiled references” to Israel’s war on Gaza. 

Many social media users suggested that the K-drama When the Phone Rings makes insensitive and inflammatory references to Israel and Palestine, which many pro-Palestinian viewers think was a subtle insertion of Zionist narratives by the showrunners. 

Several clips from the show's latest and final episode of the first season, which aired on 4 January, have been shared on social media platforms with references to places called “Paltima” and “Izmael”, which some viewers quickly interpreted as being Palestine and Israel. 

The show, originally aired on Netflix on 22 November 2024, is a political thriller about a rising politician.

In one clip from the episode, which is seemingly from a news report on TV, the reporter says, “The ongoing Paltima air strikes are taking place in Izmael where Korean nationals have been kidnapped by armed militants.” The user who shared the clip described her confusion around it and how it seemed to reference Israel and Palestine. Many social media users on TikTok reacted and commented on the clip, leading the way to a growing controversy around the K-drama. 

Read more: Fans call for boycott of popular K-drama for ‘thinly veiled references’ to Israel’s war on Gaza