Secretly Watching and Rating 7.7... Controversy Over Unauthorized Viewing of China's 'Queen of Tears'

"Illegal Viewing of Korean Content 'Everyday' in China"
40,000 Reviews of 'Queen of Tears'

tvN drama 'Queen of Tears' is gaining popularity, but there is controversy as it is being 'pirated' in China again.

'Queen of Tears' poster. [Image provided by tvN]

On the 23rd, Professor Seokyung Deok from Sungshin Women's University pointed out on his Facebook, "Recently, the drama 'Queen of Tears,' which is gaining global popularity through Netflix beyond Korea, is being pirated again in China." He criticized, "Just like with the recent movie 'Pamyoh,' illegal viewing of Korean content has become a daily occurrence in China. What is more shocking is that they feel no shame about it."

Currently, the Chinese content review site Douban (豆瓣) has a review page for 'Queen of Tears.' There are about 46,000 reviews related to 'Queen of Tears' on the site, with a rating of 7.7.

Review page of 'Queen of Tears' posted on the Chinese content review site 'Douban'. [Image source=Photo by Seokyung Deok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University Facebook]

This is not the first time for illegal viewing in China. Contents such as 'The Glory,' 'Moving,' and 'Squid Game' have also been problematic due to Chinese 'pirated viewing.'

In particular, the movie 'Pamyoh' caused controversy when hundreds of people left viewing impressions on a movie review site in China even though it had not been officially released there. At that time, some Chinese netizens mocked scenes where Chinese characters were written on the faces of actors in 'Pamyoh,' calling it "ridiculous" or saying "writing on faces is something only criminals do," which sparked criticism.

Professor Seok said, "It is now time for the Chinese authorities to take active measures," and pointed out, "The Chinese authorities have knowingly turned a blind eye to the 'pirated viewing' of K-content until now."

Finally, he emphasized, "From now on, the Chinese authorities must recognize the importance of respecting other countries' cultures first and focus on cracking down on illegal activities by their citizens. We also need to pay more attention not only to creating good content but also to building a good system that can protect it worldwide."

Meanwhile, since the deployment of THAAD in 2016, China has maintained the 'Hanhanryeong' (Korean Wave Restriction Order) policy limiting the import of Korean content. Since 2017, the only Korean movie officially released in China has been 'Oh! Moon-hee.'