Amazon Prime K-drama True to Love stuns overseas viewers with insensitive Auschwitz concentration camp reference

In Korean drama True to Love, the lead character compared the importance of wearing make-up with the plight of prisoners in Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp

Overseas viewers complained, and Amazon quickly removed the offending scene, while it took Korean showmakers eight days to respond with a weak apology

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In Korean drama True to Love, the lead character Bo-ra (played by Yoo In-na, above) compared the importance of make-with the plight of prisoners in Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp.

Published: 2:56pm, 19 May 2023Updated: 5:04pm, 19 May 2023

Korean drama series True to Love (also known as Bo-ra! Deborah) is making waves – but not for the right reasons, after finding itself embroiled in controversy following the airing of a recent episode.

The show, produced by ENA, has been taken to task for a scene in which the lead character Bo-ra, played by Yoo In-na (Snowdrop), compares the importance of applying make-up to maintain appearances with prisoners in Auschwitz concentration camps attempting to maintain their dignity in the face of death during World War II.

During a conversation with a man in a cafe at the beginning of episode nine, which aired on May 10, Bo-ra expressed her opinion about the importance of keeping up appearances, such as the application of make-up, leaning on an incendiary analogy to drive home her point.

She opines: “In the Auschwitz concentration camp, where people were living in deplorable conditions, some of them managed to take half a cup of water and used the remaining portion to wash their faces. They even used a piece of glass and the back of a tray as a mirror to shave.

“And they survived. Taking care of one’s appearance and dressing up becomes a matter of survival. As a single person, I should do something to survive.”

The issue was first raised by overseas viewers, who view the series through Amazon Prime, which is streaming the series in selected international markets.