The plagiarism controversy surrounding the Netflix drama 'Squid Game' has been raised again.

On August 1st, a related online community claimed that 'Squid Game' plagiarized the Japanese movie 'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler' ', resulting in hundreds of comments and heated debate among netizens.

In fact, since the release of 'Squid Game', similarities with 'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler' have been constantly raised. The same point of view has been raised this time as the stories of these two works overlap to a large extent.

'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler' is a movie of the same name based on a cartoon and was released in October 2009. This work, which was released as 'Kaiji' in Korea, achieved a box office record with a box office income of 2.25 billion yen in Japan.

The main character, Kaiji, who lives idle, is in debt and receives a proposal for a 'murder game' to survive by gathering the losers in his life.

'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler' was made into a movie after being a box office hit in Japan. The story follows the format of a Japanese death game. home page capture

With this storyline, suspicions are being raised that 'Squid Game' plagiarized 'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler' . A video that briefly summarizes and introduces 'Kaiji's 'gambling apocalypse' was shared on media such as YouTube, supporting this controversy.

Director Hwang Dong-hyuk, who directed the actual 'Squid Game', once said that he had been inspired by 'Squid Game' as he came across 'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler' as the original cartoon. He pointed out the success of 'Squid Game', saying, "I was able to immerse myself in the emotions of the characters in the game because anyone, regardless of age or gender, could easily understand the game. The difference is that 'Squid Game' is simple, and viewers focus on people rather than games."

However, the industry's perspective on these two works is different. Although a Japanese-style death match game was used as the main story line, this is because the form of the game and the characters' personalities are completely different. The same controversy has been raised as videos introducing simple stories are shared and compared to 'Squid Game'.

Writer Osamu Suzuki, who wrote the screenplay for 'Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler', wrote an article for the Asahi Shimbun in September of last year, ending this controversy himself. He said, "If you look at the plot of ('Squid Game'), you might think 'gambling apocalypse look Kaiji' or 'as God says'.

He also commented, “Even though it was a ‘death game’ drama, it ended neatly.

Source(1)

A recent KBS drama shoot starring Girls' Generation's Seohyun and 2PM's Taecyeon has sparked controversy after accusations of damaging a UNESCO World Heritage site.

On January 2, architect Min Seo Hong took to Facebook to criticize the production of the upcoming drama I Took the Male Lead's First Night, which used Byeongsan Seowon, a historic Korean Confucian academy, as a filming location.

His post, titled "An Account of What I Witnessed at Byeongsan Seowon," detailed shocking allegations about the crew's actions.

Min shared that he visited Byeongsan Seowon on December 30, only to find the site bustling with drama staff.

"As I approached, I saw crew members moving around. At first, I didn’t realize it was a filming set, but when I entered the seowon, I felt uneasy knowing this historic site was being used this way," he wrote.

What he saw inside was alarming. According to Min, props were scattered throughout the seowon, and staff were hammering nails into wooden pillars to hang lights.

When he confronted them, they reportedly dismissed his concerns, saying, "We already have permission from Andong City. If you’re curious, contact them."

Determined to take action, Min contacted Andong City’s Cultural Heritage Department. A city official admitted they had approved the filming but appeared unaware of the damage being done.

"When I asked if they knew about the nails in the wooden pillars, they seemed flustered and promised to order their removal immediately," Min shared.

Experts later informed Min that incidents like this aren’t uncommon, with some modern heritage sites even being dismantled for filming. "People might think hammering nails is minor, but in traditional Korean houses, it’s a big deal to even drive in one nail. For cultural heritage, this should never happen," he said.

Min’s biggest concern is the decision to allow such a valuable site, designated as Historic Site No. 260 and a UNESCO World Heritage site, to be used for filming at all. "This was a KBS drama production, and it’s deplorable that they showed such little care for cultural heritage," he added.

The drama, I Took the Male Lead's First Night, is already drawing backlash before its release, with many netizens expressing anger over the alleged damage to the historic site. Comments online include:

"Why are cultural heritage sites being used as filming locations in the first place?"

"If this is true, KBS owes an apology not just to viewers but to the nation."

"Respect for cultural heritage should come before making a drama."

Neither KBS nor the drama's production team has released an official statement regarding the allegations.

However, the issue has sparked heated debate, with many calling for stricter regulations on the use of heritage sites for filming.

Source: [1]