K-drama Anna controversy: Coupang Play and director Lee Joo-young tussle over re-edited version of hit streaming series

Anna director Lee Joo-young has clashed with Korean streaming service Coupang Play over what she says was its re-editing of the series without her consent

Lee demanded an apology and claims to have received one. Coupang Play denies saying sorry, and says that what it did was within its contractual rights

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Bae Suzy in a still from Anna, the K-drama series caught in a re-editing controversy between the director and the streaming service Coupang Play.

Pierce Conran

Published: 1:45pm, 24 Aug 2022Updated: 2:23pm, 24 Aug 2022

Since the beginning of August an intense game of he-said, she-said has gripped the Korean drama industry.

Lee Joo-young, director of the drama Anna, starring Bae Suzy, accuses streaming service Coupang Play of significantly altering the show before its launch without her consent.

This week Siwoo, a law firm representing Lee, published a statement regarding an apology it said she had received from Coupang Play and it briefly appeared as though the storm had settled. However, the streaming service immediately fired back with a strong rebuttal, further complicating the already sensitive affair.

Anna is the second scripted series from Coupang Play, the fledgling streaming service operated by e-commerce giant Coupang, which is often described as Korea’s Amazon. It follows last year’s well-received debut series One Ordinary Day starring Kim Soo-hyun.

The show began streaming on June 24 in South Korea to strong reviews and Coupang credited it with boosting the service’s unique users during the month to a sizeable 3.73 million.