"A Time Called You" Faces Criticisms for Unrealistic Portrayal of 1998 South Korea

 A Time Called You has been an anticipated remake of the hit Taiwanese drama Someday or One Day, but according to an article, it did not live to the expectations, and many were left disappointed.

READ: Jeon Yeo Been struggles to film a kiss scene in A Time Called You

One of these disappointments are the inaccuracies in the portrayal of 1998 South Korea.

1. Driving of scooters

In those days, the majority of high school students were prohibited from operating scooters without a license, so if you happened to be riding one, you were probably seen as a troublemaker. In contrast, the two male protagonists in the story are exemplary students, which may pose a challenge for viewers to relate to.

2. School

Although the story is set in a rural high school, the outside scenes were shot at Yonsei University, which gave the school a prestigious and affluent appearance, and the interior scenes were filmed on a set. This depiction starkly contrasted with the intended image of a humble countryside school.

3. Writing boards

In that era, the majority of schools used chalkboards, unlike the whiteboards featured in the show.

4. Uniforms

The leads sported uniforms adorned with large ribbons for girls and shortened skirts, which contrasted with the longer, simpler uniform styles of that era. Furthermore, girls typically wore ties instead of ribbons. A more faithful representation of the fashion of that time can be observed in the TV series Reply 1997.

Here are some comments from netizens:

They rode scooters to school? In 1998? Unless it’s a school without a dean or a shitty school, they would’ve been nagged at.

Seems like a drama that placed focus on looking pretty.

It would’ve been better if they didn’t do that to the uniforms and school at least. But I still enjoyed it.

The whiteboard is too much.

What’s this… They shouldn’t have set a specific time setting then.

If they were going to do it, they should’ve done it properly. This isn’t here or there.

 

Viewers expected to watch a more realistic portrayal of 1998 even if the drama has a timeslip element which is an important part of the drama.

READ: A Time Called You - A Timeless Masterpiece