Baeksang Awards Faces Backlash for Awarding Daesang to My Dearest Amid Plagiarism Controversy

Despite a successful award ceremony, the 2024 Baeksang continues to be marred by several controversies. One of the most prominent issues surrounds the Daesang-winning drama “My Dearest” , which has received criticism from many individuals.

Although “My Dearest”was a big success in 2024, netizens on the online forum theqoo have raised concerns that the drama’s plot closely resembles the classic movie “Gone With The Wind”. A post accusing “My Dearest”of plagiarism received over 51,000 views immediately after the awards ceremony.

According to critics, the setting and characters in “My Dearest”bear many resemblances to those in “Gone With The Wind”. For instance, the female protagonist, Gil-chae (Ahn Eun-jin), is from a wealthy family and is known for her flirting and manipulation of men’s emotions. This trait is reminiscent of Scarlett from “Gone With The Wind”. Additionally, the fact that Gil-chae harbors feelings for Yeon-joon while he is more interested in another woman is a parallel to the dynamic between Scarlett and Ashley Wikes. This detail has not gone unnoticed by many viewers.

Jang Hyun (played by Namkoong Min) in “My Dearest”is against war, believing it to be a losing battle. He has no desire for marriage, but his perspective changes when he falls in love with Gil-chae at first sight. This trait of the male lead is reminiscent of the protagonist Rhett in “Gone With The Wind”. In addition, “My Dearest”also draws inspiration from “Gone With The Wind”in iconic scenes such as a war breaking out during a party, a pregnant woman being aided, and male characters losing their sanity due to the effects of war.

The controversy surrounding the love story in “My Dearest”has been addressed by the production team before. According to screenwriter Hwang Jin-young, she drew inspiration from “Gone With The Wind”while writing the script. In an interview with Sports Chosun, Hwang explained that she felt pressure while writing a war-time romance drama and turned to “Gone With The Wind”for ideas on how to make the story more enjoyable and romantic. She also noted that the audience’s focus on the love story between Scarlett and Rhett, rather than the war, was a major influence on her writing. Hwang has always been transparent about her inspiration from “Gone With The Wind”.

The writer additionally verified that several characters drew inspiration from the 1939 film and stated that “My Dearest”was a remake of it. However, netizens were dissatisfied with this explanation as it was only revealed after the controversy had already sparked.

Furthermore, there is a strong likelihood that “My Dearest” could face a lawsuit for allegedly plagiarizing “Gone With The Wind” . Despite the fact that the novel’s copyright has expired due to the passing of its author more than 70 years ago, the copyrights for the film are still in effect. Neither Baeksang nor the “My Dearest”team have addressed these accusations with a statement at this time.