Netflix Applauded for Patriotic Subtitle Labeling Dokdo in ‘Kian’s Bizarre B&B’ Subtitles After Past Controversies

Netflix, which has faced criticism several times in the past over its subtitle choices, is now gaining praise for what viewers are calling a “patriotic subtitle.” The labeling of Dokdo in the variety show Kian’s Bizarre B&B has become a hot topic among Korean netizens.

Netflix Applauded for Patriotic Subtitle Labeling

In episode 6 of the Netflix original variety show Kian’s Bizarre B&B, released on April 15, a father is shown taking a tour of Dokdo with his two sons.

The three traveled by boat from Ulleungdo and arrived at Dokdo after about an hour and a half. The episode featured them holding up the Korean flag, shouting “mansae!” (a traditional cheer meaning “long live!), and taking commemorative photos.

What stood out most in the scene was the way “Dokdo” was labeled in the subtitles. The Kian’s Bizarre B&B production team not only labeled it as “DOKDO” in English, but also used the Japanese kanji “独島” along with the phonetic pronunciation “ドクト” (Dokuto) in the Japanese subtitles.

This has drawn praise, especially given that in many overseas broadcasts, the East Sea is incorrectly labeled as the Sea of Japan, or Dokdo is referred to as Takeshima. Viewers responded positively to the subtitle, with comments such as, “It’s great to see Netflix officially using ‘Dokdo’,” “This is how it should be,” and “This is a patriotic subtitle.”

Netflix’s Past Translation Controversies

The response has been particularly enthusiastic because Netflix has previously been embroiled in multiple translation controversies.

Kimchi

In May of last year, Netflix’s variety show Super Rich in Korea came under fire in episode 6 for translating “kimchi” into the Chinese subtitle “labaicai.” Although the term is commonly used in China to refer to kimchi, experts argue that kimchi and labaicai are entirely different dishes. In 2021, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism officially designated the correct Chinese translation of kimchi as “辛奇” (xin qi).

Amid the backlash, a Netflix spokesperson said, “We labeled it ‘labaicai’ to help Chinese-speaking viewers understand, but we recognize that this could cause unnecessary confusion. We will now use ‘辛奇’ for kimchi in Korean content and update existing subtitles accordingly.”

“辛奇” is the official Chinese translation of kimchi recognized by the Korean government, which revised its Foreign Language Translation and Romanization Guidelines for Public Terms in 2021 to reflect this.

East Sea” or “Sea of Japan”

Netflix has also repeatedly been criticized for mistranslating “East Sea” as “Sea of Japan.” This occurred in subtitles for the 2020 film Time to Hunt, the 2021 drama The Bride of Habaek, and even the Spanish subtitles of the Netflix original The 8 Show in May of last year.

At the time, Netflix responded to the controversy by saying, “We’ve identified that ‘East Sea’ was mistakenly labeled as ‘Sea of Japan’ in some subtitles and are in the process of making corrections. We are reviewing other potential cases and will take greater care with future translations.”

After a string of disappointing errors, Netflix is finally receiving praise for getting its subtitles right. Since viewers around the world experience Korean content through Netflix, many hope the platform will continue to approach subtitle translations with the same care and responsibility it showed with Kian’s Bizarre B&B.