Snowdrop ~ First Korean Drama to Stream on Disney Plus

“Snowdrop” was released in 2021-2022, has 16 episodes, and was the first Korean drama that Disney Plus added to its database. It is categorized as Romance, Political Melodrama, Action, and Historical Fiction.

The events that took place in South Korea in 1987 are the historical backdrop. But it is a fictional story of forbidden love between a North Korean spy and a South Korean student.

♦ The Year is 1987

“Snowdrop” is set in 1987, when South Korea was governed by a dictatorial government. Following World War 2 and the Korean War, a military dictatorship took power in South Korea. Pro-democracy students and civilians led protests.

• Lim Soo-Ho is a graduate student at a prestigious European university, who came to Seoul to work on his thesis, but in reality, he is a North Korean spy.
• Eun Yeong-Ro is a first-year university student and her father is the director of the Agency for National Security Planning (ANSP).

These two students met on a group blind date. Even though falling in love can compromise an agent’s mission, for Lim Soo-Ho, it was love at first sight. Eun Yeong-Ro felt the same. So when she finds him covered in blood, she tries to help by hiding him. He had barely escaped from a team of ANSP agents. Lim Soo-Ho had been on the ANSP radar for a while and they wanted to capture him alive.

Eun Yeong-Ro doesn’t even consider that Lim Soo-Ho might be a spy. She sympathizes and empathizes with him because her brother was arrested and nobody helped him. Not only that but anybody caught helping a spy will spend ten (10) years in prison. Eun Yeong-Ro is in her first year of college majoring in major in English literature. Spending 10 years in prison is not on the list of her aspirational goals.

Eun Yeong-Ro helps Lim Soo-Ho heal and eventually, he goes back to his duties to complete his mission. Of course, while the spies on both sides are doing their duty out of their patriotism and loyalty, corrupt politicians on both sides are busy playing their dirty games for power and money.

The ANSP agents are unrelenting in their pursuit of Lim Soo-Ho and his comrades or fellow spies. They are chasing after Lim Soo-Ho and he runs into the women’s university again! This time he starts taking student hostages. He wants to negotiate his release and his comrades.

Eun Yeong-Ro is one of the student hostages and she is in shock! Can it be true? Is the man she aided a North Korean spy? Did he deceive her? Will she be branded as a traitor?  That would be bad.  She’s a V.I.P. (very important person).  She’s the daughter of the leader of the Aemin Party, a Presidential hopeful.

How will their love story end?  Love story?  Will either of them even live?

Main Characters:

• Lim Soo-Ho (played by Jung Hae-In, “The Three Musketeers”)
• Eun Yeong-Ro (played by Kim Ji-Soo, “Arthdal Chronicles”)

Where to Watch

Viewership and Rating:

• IMDb: 8.1 out of 10 stars
• My Drama List: 8.4 out of 10 stars
• NME: 2 out of 5 stars
• Common Sense Media: 4 out of 5 stars
• Public rating shared via Google: 4.9 out of 5 stars

NME described this series as “A forgettable K-drama that falls prey to inconsistent writing, needless sub-plots and drawn-out melodrama.”  WOW! That’s cold!

But this type of criticism is understandable. According to real history, it was said that pro-democracy students in South Korea were accused of being communist sympathizers working as spies for North Korea. This false accusation was used to oppress protesters and maintain the military dictatorship. The criticism and controversy is that “Snowdrop” distorts the history of South Korea’s democratization. Certain companies even canceled their sponsorship. It’s a sore spot. I get it!

Just viewing the K-drama as fiction, my personal rating is the same as Common Sense Media, i.e. 4 out of 5 stars.

Despite the criticisms, Disney Plus has pressed forward, partnered with Hulu, and added more K-dramas to its database; many of them are Hulu Originals.

PopGeeks Reviews:

PopGeeks has already published reviews of six (6) Korean dramas streaming on the Disney Plus/Hulu platform.

• A Shop for Killers (2024)
• Revenant (2023)
• Vigilante (2023)
• Shadow Detective (2022-2023)
• Adamas (2022)
• One Dollar Lawyer (2022)

LINKS OF INTEREST:

• ‘Snowdrop’ review: a bastardisation of the struggle of a nation | NME
• K-drama review: Snowdrop – starring Blackpink’s Jisoo, Disney+’s disastrous historical romance awkwardly mixes Shakespeare and politics | South China Morning Post
• ‘Snowdrop’ Disney Plus Review: Stream It Or Skip It? | Decider.com

TRAILERS/TEASERS:

Rotten Tomatoes TV. “Snowdrop Limited Series Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV.” YouTube Video. YouTube, February 10, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeIQjrZSbQA.‌