China’s plagiarism of Korean TV shows hits new heights
BEIJING: China’s plagiarism of Korean shows is a longtime issue.
From theme to general concept, to story structure, to flow and to the dynamics of the cast, similarities are over the top.
One such copy and paste of South Korean entertainment programmes is cable channel JTBC’s mega-hit programme “Hyori’s Homestay”.
“Hyori’s Homestay” features K-pop diva Lee Hyori and her husband/musician Lee Sangsoon. The reality programme became a big hit by showing, as the title suggests, unscripted tumultuous events the star couple faced while living with randomly selected guests at the couple’s house on Jeju Island.
It was an unprecedented show. But recently, China’s Hunan TV announced a new reality programme, “Dear Inn”, that is similar to “Hyori’s Homestay” in many ways. “Dear Inn” is hosted by two celebrity couples and the format is very similar to “Hyori’s Homestay”. “Dear Inn’s” first episode aired Saturday.
JTBC believes the Chinese broadcaster stole its intellectual property. The Seoul-based company said it will compare both programmes and decide the “next step.”
Earlier, Hunan TV was accused of plagiarising Korean cable network tvN’s “Youn’s Kitchen”.
Victims of Chinese rip-offs
On the announcement of “Dear Inn”, Chinese netizens left frustrating comments on Weibo, saying: “These people will never stop (plagiarising),” “Why are they doing this again?,” “When you look at it (‘Dear Inn’), you think of ‘Hyori’s Homestay’ immediately.”
Other victims of Chinese ripoffs include MBC TV’s popular variety programme “Infinite Challenge”, tvN’s “Sisters over Flowers” and KBS TV’s “One Day Two Nights”.
“Finding Genius”, an SBS TV programme that seeks to discover and nurture prodigies across the nation, served as the basis for a coming show on Hunan TV called “Curious Child”, while “Three Meals a Day”, a popular cooking-reality show on cable channel tvN, has been reproduced in China under the title “The Life We Long For”.
Rep. Kim Sung-soo of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea disclosed 29 confirmed cases of plagiarism by Chinese broadcasters recently, citing data from the Korean Communications Commission.
He said Chinese regulators seem to ignore Korea’s complaints of plagiarism amid the THAAD dispute, which has made intellectual theft easier.
In addition to the dispute, Kim said plagiarism cases have increased since China four years ago limited the programme formats satellite broadcasters are allowed to import.