One of the highest-rated K-dramas till date, When The Phone Rings, concluded on January 4, and while fans loved the happy ending, it also managed to stir a controversy. In the final episode, a scene indirectly mentioned the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, which did not go down well with netizens, who then called for boycotting the drama.
In the season finale of When The Phone Rings, the character of news reporter Na Yu Ri, played by Jang Gyu Ri, can be seen reporting on an incident involving two fictional countries, Paltima and Izmael. In the scene, she can be heard saying that Paltima launched airstrikes against Izmael, and also took some Korean nationals hostage.
I just noticed this.
‘Paltima’ and ‘Izmael’ this is definitely not a coincidence. It’s totally unrelated and unnecessary to the plot but the production crew just had to insert their zionist viewpoint
shame on you @mbcdrama_pre https://t.co/oOcQRibq7T pic.twitter.com/FyknlsAw1z
— daisy han (@kdramadaisy) January 5, 2025
Netizens were quick to point out that the fictional names were just wordplay on the names Palestine and Israel, and criticised the makers for projecting a narrative on the show over the ongoing conflict.
“‘Paltima’ and ‘Izmael’ this is definitely not a coincidence. It’s totally unrelated and unnecessary to the plot but the production crew just had to insert their zionist viewpoint…shame on you (sic),” a user wrote on X.
팔티마가 이즈마일을 공습하고 한국인 인질을 잡는 모습을 보여주는 것이 얼마나 이상했는지요? 이스라엘이 수십만 명의 어린이를 청각 장애로 남겨두고 대량 학살을 저지르고 있는 상황에서 제작진은 분명히 시온주의적 견해를 삽입해야 했습니다 #지금거신전화는 #WhenThePhoneRings @withMBC pic.twitter.com/HBtLSv5Bzx
— now (@ma42401494) January 4, 2025
Another netizen commented, “How strange it was to show Paltima bombing Izmail and taking Korean hostages? The production team clearly had to insert a Zionist viewpoint when Israel is committing mass murder, leaving hundreds of thousands of children dead (sic).”
for anyone who hasn’t watched it, it’s better to just boycott it, we all know which country they mean, they don’t even bother to cover it up, and they reveal the opposite of the facts that happened #WhenThePhoneRingsEp12 #WhenThePhoneRings pic.twitter.com/X6copLLNc6
— Amisyuu 아미슈 (@AzmiMufidah21) January 4, 2025
The makers are yet to issue a clarification on the controversy.
This is not the first time that When The Phone Rings has made headlines for all wrong reasons. Earlier, it was accused of mocking sign language in one of the episodes, but the makers were quick to issue an apology.
The show stars Yoo Yeon-Seok and Chae Soo-Bin in the lead roles. It also features Hae Nam-joon, Han Jae-Yi, Ko Sang-ho, and others.
