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Set in the 1980s, the story centers on a forbidden romance between a college student and a North Korean spy against the backdrop of Korea's pro-democracy movement. While the program has amassed a huge audience since it premiered in Asia mid-December, it has also been criticized for its portrayal of the pivotal historical era.

Here's the Snowdrop synopsis from Disney+:

“When a blood-soaked man (Jung Hae-In) bursts into the dormitory of a women’s university in Seoul, Korea, Eun Yeong-ro (Jisoo) will go against her better judgement and risk being expelled to hide the man from his attackers and tend to his wounds. Unbeknownst to Yeong-ro, the man has a harrowing secret that threatens to put her friends’ and family’s safety at risk, and the two young lovers will have to work together to overcome the obstacles.”

The controversy mostly revolves around the show's suggestion that a North Korean spy would be involved in Korea's pro-democracy efforts. In reality, many of those who protested Chun Doo-hwan's military dictatorship in the '80s were wrongly accused of being North Korean spies and faced persecution, according to Forbes.

A petition calling for the show's cancellation, which gathered over 267,000 signatures, pointed out that protestors were “tortured and killed, being falsely accused as spies.” It went on to claim that Snowdrop's plot is “distorting the value of the pro-democracy movement.” A group of Korean scholars also wrote an open letter to Disney Asia-Pacific President Luke Kang, asking the company to seek experts on Korean history to examine the historical references in the show.

Korean TV network JTBC responded to the concerns in a statement, saying, “Snowdrop is a creative work that shows the personal stories of individuals who were used and victimized by those in power.”

Despite the uproar, Snowdrop still saw major success, becoming one of the top five most-watched programs in Asia-Pacific markets on Disney+ within its first five weeks on the streamer abroad. Fans also showed love for the lead stars on social media, posting many loving tributes to “Haesoo” (Hae-In + Jisoo) in the form of fancams, screenshots, and sweet behind-the-scenes photos.

“Snowdrop is a heart-warming fictional melodrama about a young couple in love, and as the story unfolds, find themselves enduring an unbearable pain that one rarely encounters in a lifetime,” director Jo Hyun-tak said in a statement for Disney+ today. “I hope global audiences find this heartfelt series also gripping and suspenseful as the two come to face their fate.”