"Why Chinese Bibimbap Appears in Korean Dramas" - Excessive Chinese PPL Sparks Ongoing 'Cultural Sensitivity' Controversy

Drama 'Vincenzo', 'Chinese Bibimbap' PPL Sparks Ongoing Controversy
China Mocks "Bibimbap as Leftover Food"
Seo Kyung-deok Urges "Don't Fall for Tricks"
Experts Say "PPL Inappropriate Amid Rising Anti-China Sentiment"

English version article by Chinese state media Global Times criticizing the controversy over indirect advertising of a Chinese brand bibimbap in the drama 'Vincenzo'. Photo by Seokyung Deok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University, Facebook.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] "Did we really have to do PPL for Chinese-made Bibimbap?"

Recently, dramas airing domestically have been criticized for indirectly advertising (PPL) Chinese companies. Given that China is forcibly claiming Korean indigenous cultures such as Kimchi, Hanbok, and Pansori as 'their own culture,' such PPL is considered inappropriate. Recently, the drama "Vincenzo" featured "Chinese-made Bibimbap," sparking controversy. Experts pointed out that in the context of growing anti-China sentiment due to China's Northeast Project, such PPL is inappropriate.

Professor Seo Kyung-deok of Sungshin Women's University recently captured and shared an article related to the Chinese-made Bibimbap PPL in the tvN drama "Vincenzo." The article he captured was from the English edition of the Chinese state media Global Times, which reported an article titled "Korean drama criticized for exposing Chinese brand Bibimbap products."

Professor Seo said, "After this report, Chinese netizens have been mocking through Weibo and other platforms, saying things like 'Bibimbap is just a way to use leftover food,' and 'Koreans get excited over Bibimbap due to lack of food culture,'" and added, "Global Times is inciting cultural conflicts between Korea and China," he pointed out.

He said, "Recently, as Korean music, dramas, and movies have gained worldwide attention and Korea is leading Asian cultural trends, (Global Times) seems to feel a lot of 'crisis,'" adding, "In such times, we should not fall for Global Times' tricks but rather stand firm against China's Northeast Project and cultural projects to protect our cultural heritage well."

Earlier, in episode 8 of "Vincenzo," which aired on the 14th, Hong Cha-young (played by Jeon Yeo-bin) handed a Bibimbap lunchbox to Vincenzo (played by Song Joong-ki), who was working at their law firm office, saying, "You need something delicious when watching something fun."

In that scene, a Bibimbap product labeled in both Chinese and Korean appeared as PPL. Although it appeared for just about 3 seconds, the brand was Chinese, and the fact that a traditional Korean dish, Bibimbap, was PPL-ed as a Chinese product drew criticism.

Specifically, it was Bibimbap produced by the Chinese company "Zihai Guo," which had previously caused controversy for labeling "Korean-style Kimchi stone pot Bibimbap" as "Korean-style Pao Cai" in Chinese.

Photo by tvN drama 'Vincenzo' broadcast screen capture

As a result, some criticized that the PPL was inappropriate amid the controversy where Chinese netizens claim that Kimchi and Hanbok originated in China. There was also concern that overseas viewers might mistakenly perceive Bibimbap as a Chinese dish.

Office worker Kim (29) said, "I was enjoying the drama but was so shocked by the PPL that I immediately changed the channel. Overseas viewers who are not familiar with our culture might think Bibimbap is Chinese food," adding, "I don't understand why they had to do PPL for a product that isn't even sold in Korea."

Another office worker Lee (26) said, "No matter how much the production costs are covered by advertising, this is not right. Given that China is insisting that Kimchi and Hanbok are their own culture, such PPL should have been more cautious," adding, "Bibimbap is one of Korea's representative dishes. It's disappointing and frustrating that the production company took a careless attitude by PPL-ing it as a Chinese product."

This is not the first time Chinese-made PPL has caused controversy. In the recently concluded tvN drama "True Beauty," there was a scene where the protagonists bought and ate Chinese-style instant hot pot at a convenience store. Also, a bus stop in the background featured an advertisement for a Chinese shopping mall not serviced in Korea, sparking controversy.

At the time of airing, viewers pointed out that "there is no student eating Chinese instant hot pot at a Korean convenience store," criticizing the unrealistic PPL for disrupting immersion in the drama.

The drama "True Beauty," which ended last month, drew criticism for featuring Chinese instant hot pot as product placement. Photo by tvN, screenshot from the broadcast of "True Beauty."

The frequent appearance of Chinese company PPL in Korean content is related to increased production costs. For mini-series scheduled for 8 to 16 episodes, the average production cost per episode has risen to about 600 million KRW, three times higher than the 200 million KRW in the early 2010s. Also, with the increased production cost burden due to COVID-19, production companies are practically unable to refuse Chinese PPL.

Experts pointed out that PPL of Chinese companies is inappropriate given the unfavorable public sentiment toward China.

Popular culture critic Jung Deok-hyun said, "Viewers somewhat sympathize with the need to do PPL to cover production costs," adding, "But the reason viewers show aversion to Chinese PPL is because of China's 'Northeast Project.'"

He continued, "Since China is claiming our culture such as Kimchi and Hanbok as Chinese culture, the public sentiment is not good. In this situation, if actions like PPL of Chinese-made Bibimbap occur, overseas audiences might misunderstand our culture as Chinese culture. Because of these concerns, the public inevitably harbors aversion to Chinese PPL," he said.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.