Lee Min-Ho and Jun Ji-Hyun star in the SBS drama 'The Legend of the Blue Sea.' (Photo : YouTube/afreennisa mohammad)
SBS' "The Legend of the Blue Sea" has once again been hit by another plagiarism controversy. The SBS drama, which stars Lee Min-Ho and Jun Ji-Hyun, is accused of copying parts of its storyline from a Korean scriptwriter named Park.
On Dec. 14, Wednesday, Park took to the official website of "The Legend of the Blue Sea" and introduced herself as the writer of "The Legend of Hae Wol Sea: Pearly Shells," All Kpop reported. There, she pointed out the similarities between her project and the SBS drama.
According to Park, many of the incidents portrayed in the SBS drama are fundamentally the same as that of her work. She explained, "Not only did it include mermaids, but the situations in the drama and the portrayals are very similar."
Though she demanded an apology from show's writer Park Ji-Eun, Park said she does not want to call it plagiarism. She added that she is not in a position to take legal actions against prominent personalities from the entertainment industry, despite the fact that justice is on her side.
"I want to emphasize once again that I'm not here to say that they have plagiarized my writing," Park clarified. "Why? Because I am a poor citizen."
Park went ahead to say that how can she take legal action against big and threatening individuals like Choi Soon-Sil and Cha Eun-Tak. She then reiterated that it is just an analysis of the similar parts, but never she said it was plagiarism.
This is not the first time "The Legend of the Blue Sea" has been slammed by critics over plagiarism claims. It was previously reported that the series reportedly copied a few plot lines and filming styles from the 1984 film "Splash" and popular British series "Sherlock."
Despite such claims, the SBS series managed to secure the top spot in the Wednesday-Thursday ratings battle. The show's latest episode, which aired on Dec. 14, had an average audience share of 16.6 percent.
"We'd like to thank the countless viewers both within and beyond Korea for their love," a representative from the SBS drama told Soompi. "Thanks to your love and support, we are able to film warmly even in this cold winter. We hope you will continue to show us support in the future."
Check out SBS' "The Legend of the Blue Sea" here:
