tvN’s 20th Anniversary Commemoration Video Sparks Heated Backlash

The South Korean broadcaster, tvN has sparked intense reactions with its latest YouTube release.

On December 31, the YouTube channel of tvN posted a special montage video of its biggest hit K-Dramas to commemorate the network’s 20th anniversary. The video included clips from iconic shows such as Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, My Mister, Reply 1997, Hotel Del Luna, Lovely Runner, and Bon Appetit, Your Majesty, among others.

While there were some debates about which other dramas should have been included in this video, the absence of Queen of Tears from it drew the majority of the backlash. Fans were upset that the K-Drama, despite being the network’s highest-rated one in history, had to be skipped, likely due to the scandals of Kim Soo Hyun.

Many expressed their disappointment, especially on behalf of the lead actress, Kim Ji Won, who delivered a stellar performance in the role of Hong Hae In, a cold and strong chaebol heiress. Fans felt that it was insulting to her hard work to erase the K-Drama completely.

a woman delivers excellence, a man fucks up, and suddenly her work is erased. jiwon deserved recognition for queen of tears, yet she got nothing because of that man’s scandal. fuck men.pic.twitter.com/ufkRzyWUSY https://t.co/vdLQ3DHGI3

— j (@rhybeom) January 2, 2026

Jiwon took English class, diet for a year, working hard a long with other staff who work their ass off to give tvn the most successful drama. Tvn should at least include that effort https://t.co/jHcj2Ij2rP

— 🐝 MyDing (WONEDAY) (@SleepNotAlive) January 2, 2026

Imagine working your ass off for a year to help a channel get their highest rated show of all time
But still they disrespect you everytime in return
Kim jiwon you are allowed to use a gun https://t.co/KM5oNK2v2V

— Anastasia (@geewonii22) January 2, 2026

Even in these split second scenes Jiwon had way more presence than that man and was basically carrying the show And yet women still end up getting dragged down because of men’s mess https://t.co/Sz2bXImtLS pic.twitter.com/HsF7kVH90Q

— y (@mykjw_) January 2, 2026

How dare you not include Queen of tears, Kim Jiwon didn’t bring you all that success with her iconic Hong Haein character for you to ignore her effort like thatpic.twitter.com/SxNbIJ9m8R https://t.co/hleJyFc7XD

— 𝘒𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘺 (@geewonbb) January 2, 2026

Others, however, reasoned that the fault lied with Kim Soo Hyun, whose actions ultimately marred the legacy of this iconic show. In fact, many welcomed tvN’s decision to exclude his work.

why are people blaming tvn instead of #that pedo for the qot erasure https://t.co/2JtLzQU2c1 pic.twitter.com/P3V2V13Rqh

— mai (@xhaomaii) January 2, 2026

nothing says the industry has turned its back on a disgraced superstar than tvN leaving out their highest rated kdrama from their 20th anniversary commemorative video. https://t.co/iHMRRtsNPd

— yrdr2snaps (@yrdr2snaps) January 2, 2026

qot being excluded from any tvn anniversary content and i can’t even be mad men really do nothing but ruin things pic.twitter.com/IBy3Qqp7lQ

— ° (@myeongjoos) January 2, 2026

Some also argued that tvN could have included just Kim Ji Won’s scenes in the video to honor her hard work.

You know not adding the Highest Rating Drama of TVN is such a crime. Could've just add Kim Jiwon's scenes . Just the fact that she and all who worked hard for this drama needs to be credited . https://t.co/lsgSL4UEp5

— Sashara⚜️ (@sasharajohnson) January 2, 2026

SK are really cruel to women. If it was the woman in such a scandal they would have edited her scenes out and included the PEDO and give him all the awards.
Shame on you @CJnDrama https://t.co/ebjSiHYWS7

— Braziliangirl (@Braziliang65907) January 2, 2026

How do you not include your highest rated show? There are plenty Jiwon and the other cast scenes you could have used. She worked just as hard for the show to be what it was and deserve better than being paid dust over someone else's fuck up https://t.co/uAnPKbLPTq

— k_adinkra⋆𐙚 (@K_adinkra) January 2, 2026

While there are multiple opinions about this situation, it appears that the majority of netizens feel that tvN made Kim Ji Won and other actors bear the consequences of Kim Soo Hyun’s actions.