Even Woo Young-woo is being spied on by China... "Chinese authorities must step in"

Seok Kyung-deok: "Illegal Distribution Damage of Korean Content like 'Squid Game' and 'Hell'"

The number of people illegally watching the ENA channel drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" (Woo Young-woo) is increasing in China.
Photo by Woo Young-woo broadcast screen capture.

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] As the popularity of the ENA channel drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" ("Woo Young-woo") continues to rise overseas, Professor Seokyungdeok from Sungshin Women's University has raised his voice, urging the Chinese authorities to crack down on illegal viewing, which is rampant in China.

On the 21st, Professor Seokyungdeok posted on his social media, pointing out, "Not only is 'pirated viewing' absurd, but on Douban, China's largest content review site, users are rating it among themselves, and there are already over 20,000 reviews posted."

Released on the 29th of last month, "Woo Young-woo" tells the story of a rookie lawyer with autism spectrum disorder who solves cases in her own unique way after joining a major law firm.

"Woo Young-woo" is also reported to be receiving a positive response in China. The Chinese media outlet Sina reported that the popularity of "Woo Young-woo" is remarkable, noting that a fan account created by a netizen has about 30,000 followers who have watched the show.

The problem is that Chinese viewers are consuming Korean content through illegal distribution channels. Regarding this, Professor Seokyungdeok stated, "In fact, illegal distribution of Korean content in China has been a major issue for a long time," adding, "Last year, illegal downloads of Netflix titles such as 'Squid Game' and 'Hellbound' were rampant in China, where Netflix is not officially serviced, causing much controversy."

However, as illegal distribution channels have diversified, it has become difficult to crack down domestically. Domestic and international online video service (OTT) companies are responding by utilizing private monitoring firms, but even this is reportedly challenging.

Professor Seokyungdeok said, "It is now time for the Chinese authorities to step in," adding, "During the Beijing Winter Olympics in February, the Chinese authorities conducted strict crackdowns to protect intellectual property rights and prevent illegal distribution related to the Olympic mascot 'Bing Dwen Dwen'."

He continued, "It's not that the Chinese authorities are unaware; they have known but have not acted until now," emphasizing, "From now on, the Chinese authorities must learn to respect other countries' cultures first and must show this through their actions."

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