Vietnam has reportedly asked Netflix to remove its recent Little Women series over a “distorted” depiction of the Vietnam War.
The series, a South Korean drama based loosely on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, has been released internationally on the streaming service.
The controversy stems from episode eight of Little Women, which features a scene in which a Korean military veteran discusses the achievements of Korean soldiers during the war.
“In our best battles, the kill-to-death ratio for Korean troops was 20 to one,” the character says at one point. “That’s 20 Viet Cong killed for one Korean soldier dead.”
In a letter seen by Vietnamese newspaper Truoi Tre, (per Bloomberg), the Vietnamese Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information said that the series had contravened Vietnamese press law.
Specifically, the series is alleged to have breached Clause Four, Article Nine of the document, which precludes media from inciting war, infringing upon the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, or distorting history.
Vietnamnet reports that Netflix is currently processing the request, also claiming that the series is expected to be removed from the streamer’s catalogue in Vietnam later this week.
The Independent has contacted Netflix for comment.
