The rise and fall of Korean drama export to China: The history of state regulation of Korean dramas in China

Abstract

In October 2016, approximately 3 months after the Korean government agreed to host the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, TV stations and online streaming platforms in China stopped airing Korean dramas, movies, TV shows and commercials that featured Korean celebrities. While the post-Terminal High Altitude Area Defense blockade of Korean cultural products received much attention, the restriction should not be taken as an idiosyncratic case of cultural retaliation over the deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in the Korean peninsula. Chinese government regulation of Korean TV shows should be understood in the larger context of restricting the inflow of capitalist culture, which is viewed as a threat to socialist ideology and national security. We discuss the historical trajectory of the rise and fall of Korean drama export to China (1996–2018) to discuss the continuing role of the state in transnational cultural flows.

Better than television: The rise of Korean web dramas

“…International Journal of Cultural Studies 24(6) in 2005, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT) tightened restrictions on the airing of foreign television shows to the point that only seven Korean dramas made their way onto Chinese screens in the following year (Park et al, 2018). Likewise, there have been concerns about rising anti-Korean Wave sentiment in China owing to the unidirectional flow of Korean content into the country.…”

Blocked by YouTube? Unseen digital intermediaries for social imaginaries in the Asia Pacific

“…The obvious digital intermediation item here is the virtual privacy network (VPN) tool that enables users to mask their location, so they are then able to interact on the platform from behind the government enforced firewalls. Park et al (2019) highlight ‘the Chinese government has restricted the entrance of global media companies (e.g. Facebook and YouTube) into the domestic market to help develop local services, such as Tudou and Ren Ren’ (p. 141).…”

The returning ofHallyuin China: transnational reception of the Korean dramaMy Love from the Star

“…The audiences are becoming fragmented or individualized. They rely on personal computers (PCs) and smartphones to watch television programs, making it a highly personal practice (Jin, 2018; Park et al, 2019). The rapid changes in the media environment also lead to changes in the constitution of Korean drama viewers.…”