Yoo Jae-suk's 'Biased Judgment Remarks' Criticized by China... Seo Kyung-duk Says "China Gave the Pretext"

Chinese Media Urges Yoo Jae-seok Not to Make Remarks That Fuel Yang Guk-min Conflict
Seo Kyung-deok Says, "Before Criticizing Remarks, Reflect on Illegal Distribution of Korean Content"

Chinese state media Global Times has sparked controversy by criticizing broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk. Photo by Seokyung Deok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University, Facebook screenshot.

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] As a Chinese state-run media criticized broadcaster Yoo Jae-seok for his candid remarks on the biased judgment in short track speed skating at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, on the 25th, Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University pointed out, "It must be clearly understood that China is the one who provided the pretext for anti-China sentiment."

Earlier, the English edition of the Chinese state-run media Global Times, affiliated with Huanqiu Shibao, published an article on the 23rd titled "Korean celebrities should not pour oil on the fire but help ease negative feelings between China and Korea."

The media introduced a statement made by Yoo Jae-seok on the MBC entertainment program "How Do You Play?" aired on the 19th, saying, "Yoo Jae-seok, Korea's top comedian and broadcaster with many fans in China, should not make remarks that incite conflict between the peoples of the two countries."

At that time, Yoo Jae-seok said about the short track event where Korean athletes were disqualified and a Chinese athlete advanced to the finals, "I couldn't contain myself. I was very, very angry."

Broadcaster Yoo Jae-suk. Photo by MBC from the broadcast screen capture of 'How Do You Play?'.

In response, Professor Seo posted on his Facebook, "In the situation of Hanhanryeong (restrictions on Korean Wave), how would Chinese people have viewed Korea's representative entertainment program? It seems clear that it was illegally downloaded and distributed unlawfully."

Since Hanhanryeong, China has banned the distribution of new Korean movies and dramas within China. Hanhanryeong is a measure that restricted Korean entertainers' activities in China after the deployment of the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system at a base in Korea in 2016.

Professor Seo said, "Before nitpicking Korean celebrities' remarks, why does the Global Times of Huanqiu Shibao never mention the behavior of Chinese people who always steal Korean content?" He added, "Why don't they report on cases of Korean celebrities' portrait rights violations, unauthorized merchandise sales, and theft of Korean entertainment program formats? It is truly pathetic behavior by the Chinese media."

He also referred to a recent Chinese film titled "Fly, Light on the Ice," which portrayed Korean short track athletes as "cheaters." In the film, Korean athletes deliberately trip the protagonist, and injure the fallen protagonist's eyes with skate blades, repeatedly committing fouls.

Professor Seo said, "Why hasn't there been any coverage on the release of a film during the Olympics that depicts Korean short track athletes as 'cheaters,' inciting anti-Korean sentiment and trying to boost patriotism among their own people? This is a world-class scoop," adding, "Especially since the Beijing municipal authorities were in charge of producing and distributing this film, it is utterly shocking."

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