"Wooyoungwoo DVD 1500 Won"... China Goes Beyond Illegal Viewing to Selling Merchandise for Profit

A calendar related to the ENA drama "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" has been produced as merchandise and is being sold for 39.9 yuan (approximately 7,600 won) on Taobao, China's largest online shopping mall.
[Photo by Taobao capture]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] Following 'Squid Game,' now it's 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo.' The issue of 'pirate viewing' of Korean content in China is causing controversy. This mainly involves distributing videos through illegal streaming and illegal downloads, as well as illegally producing and profiting from goods featured in the dramas.

On the 7th, many products related to the ENA drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' were listed on Taobao, China's largest online shopping mall.

Searching for Extraordinary Attorney Woo (非常律?禹英禑) reveals related DVDs and video files being traded for around 8 yuan (approximately 1,500 KRW). The product descriptions also mention that viewers can watch in 'high definition' with 'Chinese subtitles.'

Moreover, costumes and props worn by characters in the drama are easily found. The brown shoes worn by the main character Woo Young-woo are being sold for 308 yuan (about 59,000 KRW). Especially, the brown crossbody bag that became famous as the 'Woo Young-woo bag' is priced at 1,079 yuan (about 207,000 KRW), which is more expensive than the original price (about 170,000 KRW). The jacket price even reached 3,852 yuan (about 747,000 KRW). Calendars and posters featuring scenes from the drama are also produced and sold as goods.

The shoes worn by Woo Young-woo are being sold for 308 yuan (approximately 59,000 won) on Taobao, China's largest online shopping mall.
[Photo by Taobao capture]

All these products are illegally produced. This drama is streamed overseas on Netflix, which is not available in China.

Previously, the globally popular Netflix series 'Squid Game' also suffered from illegal distribution within China. At that time, many illegally produced products, from Squid Game videos to related goods, were listed on Taobao. Netflix launched a crackdown operation targeting sellers suspected of infringing on Squid Game's intellectual property rights. The Korean Embassy in China also revealed at the National Assembly audit in October last year that Korean content was being illegally distributed on over 60 Chinese websites.

Given this situation, the government recently took direct action to respond to copyright infringement in China. On the 5th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the '16th Korea-China Governmental Copyright Meeting' online with the China National Copyright Administration to discuss copyright issues between the two countries in the digital era. Through the meeting, the Ministry presented the 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' case and requested cooperation from the Copyright Administration to respond to copyright infringement and promote legal distribution.