The aftermath of the December 3rd martial law crisis is reverberating beyond politics into broader society, with the entertainment industry potentially facing significant shifts in viewer preferences. Most notably, audiences are showing strong reactions to dramas featuring prosecutors as protagonists.
With President Yoon Seok Yeol’s background as a prosecutor and his administration’s tendency to appoint former prosecutors to key positions—leading to terms like “prosecutor republic”—the recent martial law incident has intensified public skepticism. This comes as President Yoon faces investigation for potential insurrection, while Justice Minister Park Sung Jae, another former prosecutor who controls prosecutorial appointments, stands at the center of controversy.
Drama fans are expressing strong reactions, with comments like “I can’t watch dramas with righteous prosecutors as leads anymore,” “Prosecutors in movies and dramas are pure fantasy,” and “Stop glorifying prosecutors.”
This shift has led viewers to reexamine and criticize recent prosecutor-led content like Netflix’s The Whirlwind. The series, which portrays a conflict between a justice-seeking former prosecutor-turned-politician and an activist-turned-politician who compromised their principles, is facing particular scrutiny in the current climate.
These public sentiments are inevitably affecting production decisions in the entertainment industry.
tvN’s new drama Resident Playbook has faced multiple scheduling delays since releasing teasers and posters in February, largely due to viewer backlash amid the ongoing medical residents’ strike. With public sentiment turning against medical residents, the show’s portrayal of struggling medical residents’ growth story has become a sensitive issue. While summer 2025 has been suggested as a potential air date, tvN told NewsN it remains “undecided.”
Channel A’s The Iron Squad series is also facing criticism in the wake of the martial law crisis. The military survival program, featuring elite veterans competing for their former units’ honor, is receiving pushback from viewers who watched live coverage of martial law troops advancing on the National Assembly and Election Commission.
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