From Kimchi to Squid Game... China's 'Copying Korea' Criticized Even by BBC

On the 21st (local time), the British BBC addressed the issue of plagiarism of Korean content by China.
[Photo by BBC]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] The British BBC recently covered the issue of China’s plagiarism of Korean content surrounding the Netflix original drama Squid Game.

On the 21st (local time), BBC published an article titled "Victory of the Squid? China’s Streaming Site Cloned Squid Game."

Earlier, the Chinese video streaming service Youku announced the production of a new variety show called Victory of the Squid, which sparked controversy over plagiarism of Squid Game.

This was because the premise of showing participants challenging games they enjoyed in childhood was almost identical to the core concept of Squid Game.

Moreover, the program logo initially revealed by Youku was also similar to the Squid Game logo. The words Victory of the Squid included pink circles, triangles, and squares similar to those in Squid Game.

This led to criticism within China as well. On the Chinese social networking service (SNS) Weibo, there were accusations that "this program copied Squid Game" along with reactions saying "It’s shameful."

Eventually, Youku released a revised program logo image and apologized, saying "There was an error in the work." Youku explained, "The title is Victory of the Game, and the previously released image was an initial design. We sincerely apologize for causing misunderstandings."

BBC reported this, stating, "Despite Youku’s explanation, local netizens continue to criticize."

BBC cited posts on Weibo pointing out local reactions such as "It sounds like a very poor cover-up," "They clearly tried to steal Squid Game," "Why can’t we come up with our own ideas?" and "It’s embarrassing."

In addition, BBC mentioned other allegations of Chinese plagiarism of Korean content raised so far. BBC reported, "China and Korea have experienced cultural conflicts in recent years," adding, "Last year, China claimed to lead the kimchi industry and was accused of ‘stealing Korean culture.’"

It also added, "They were criticized for claiming that hanbok originated in China."

Furthermore, BBC noted that some say "It is common for Chinese production companies to plagiarize Korean content." As an example, it explained that the Chinese rap competition program Rap of China was once accused of plagiarizing Korea’s Show Me the Money.

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