China, Netflix No.1 'Jigok' Illegal Distribution Controversy... Seokyeongdeok "Why Can't They Get a Grip?"

Second Illegal Distribution Following 'Ojingeo Game'... "Respect Other Countries' Cultures"

Netflix Original Series 'Hellbound' Poster / Photo by Netflix

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Seohyun] The Netflix original series produced in Korea, 'Hellbound,' is gaining global popularity following 'Squid Game.' Meanwhile, it is also trending in China, where access to Netflix itself is impossible, raising concerns about copyright infringement.

Professor Seokyungdeok from Sungshin Women's University stated on his Instagram on the 24th, "The drama 'Hellbound,' released worldwide on Netflix on the 19th, is being illegally distributed in China under the name 'Jihyeok Gongsa (地獄公使)' with Chinese subtitles," adding, "It is also attracting significant attention on China's two major social networking services (SNS), Weibo and Weixin."

He claimed, "China is a country where Netflix is not officially available, but Korean content is continuously being stolen through illegal downloads and bypass access, which is a serious problem."

Netflix is not only unavailable in 'mainland China,' but both Netflix and Chinese authorities prohibit and crack down on bypass access methods such as using virtual private networks (VPNs) to change the country location.

Professor Seo said, "Recently, the British BBC reported that 'China's streaming site Youku is being criticized for plagiarism of Korea's hit 'Squid Game' with its 'Victory of the Squid' show,'" pointing out, "This is a precise criticism of China's plagiarism issues regarding Korean content."

He continued, "Even global media outlets strongly criticize such wrongful actions by China, so why can't they come to their senses?" and added, "I hope China learns to respect other countries' cultures first."

Meanwhile, 'Hellbound' is a Netflix original content depicting a story where supernatural phenomena occur as messengers of hell suddenly appear and people receive death sentences to hell. Amid the chaos, a religious group called the New Truth Society rises, and those trying to uncover the truth of the incidents become entangled.

Upon its release on the 19th, it ranked first on the global OTT content ranking site FlixPatrol's 'Netflix Today Worldwide Top 10 TV Programs (Shows)' on the 20th, just one day later. This was a faster achievement than the previous Korean-produced Netflix original 'Squid Game,' which held the longest time at number one.

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