A four-year-long “Korean Restriction” on China’s film and entertainment industry seems to have been lifted. According to CCTV News, China Central Broadcasting Corporation (CCTV) and Korea Broadcasting Service (KBS) signed a cooperation agreement by video on the 22nd. The two sides decided to create a cooperation mechanism to carry out comprehensive cooperation in program content, media technology and industrial operation, and to promote humanistic exchanges between the two countries.
According to the report, this year is the “Year of Cultural Exchange between China and South Korea”, in order to implement the consensus of the heads of state of China and South Korea, CCTV and KBS signed the aforementioned cooperation agreement to enhance the friendship and mutual trust between China and South Korea, and promote the strategic partnership between China and South Korea to a new level.
The signing of the cooperation agreement between CCTV and KBS is seen as a concrete symbol of the lifting of the “Korean Restriction”, as next year will be the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, and both sides will carry out a series of activities to celebrate. China and South Korea formally established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level on Aug. 24, 1992.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted during a phone call with South Korea’s new Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong on the 16th of this month that this year is the opening of the “Year of Cultural Exchange between China and South Korea” and next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and South Korea, which is of great significance for the two countries.
South Korea decided in 2016 to allow the U.S. military to deploy the “SAD system” (Terminal High Altitude Defense missile, or ‘THAAD’), which is considered to be primarily aimed at the Chinese Communist Party. At that Time, it was rumored that the Chinese Communist Party would sanction the deployment by blocking South Korean artists’ performances and entertainment programs.
The “Korean Restriction Order” includes: banning Korean stars from performing in China; stopping new investments in South Korean cultural industry companies; stopping public performances by South Korean idol groups for audiences of 10,000 or more; banning new cooperation projects for South Korean TV dramas and variety shows; and banning South Korean actors from appearing in TV dramas on Chinese TV stations.
With the implementation of the “Korean Restriction Order” on September 1, 2016, it is true that the development of South Korean film and entertainment industry in China has been significantly hampered in the past few years.
However, after the lifting of the “Korean Restriction”, there is no doubt that the South Korean film and entertainment industry will be able to revive the “Korean Wave” boom. According to Tencent News, You Xiaogang, president of the China TV Drama Production Industry Association, said that in the past, there was more one-way cooperation between South Korea and China, and South Korea only took China as a one-way export market, without reciprocal acceptance of Chinese Culture.
You Xiaogang pointed out that future cultural exchanges between China and South Korea will focus more on reciprocal exchanges between the two sides, “and will not be based on the previous kind of one-way cooperation with poor interaction, but will be a better cooperation with strong interaction”.
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