Searching for Buchaechum on Chinese sites shows "Our dance stolen by Korea"... Another groundless claim

"The Government Must Respond Strongly"

Chinese netizens are causing controversy by falsely claiming the Korean traditional dance, Buchaechum (Fan Dance), as their own culture.

On the 5th, Professor Seokyeongdeok of Sungshin Women's University stated on his Facebook, "After receiving reports from many netizens and verifying them, I found posts and photos on Chinese social networking services (SNS) claiming that 'Korea stole the Buchaechum'." He added, "China's largest portal, Baidu Encyclopedia, is currently distorting the Korean Buchaechum as a 'Chinese folk traditional dance'."

[Image source=Seokyungdeok, Professor at Sungshin Women's University, Facebook]

Buchaechum is a Korean dance that primarily uses fans as its main prop. It was created by the veteran dancer Kim Baek-bong in 1954 and was first performed on the stage of Sigonggwan in Seoul from November 26 to 28, 1954. Later, it was performed as a group dance at the 1968 Mexico Olympics and established itself as a representative Korean dance work. In 2014, it was also registered as the 3rd intangible cultural asset of South Pyongan Province, the hometown of Kim Baek-bong.

However, it was revealed belatedly that Jilin Province in China registered 19 items, including Buchaechum, Sangmo Dance, Swing, and Neolttwigi, as provincial intangible cultural heritage in 2007, sparking controversy. Earlier this year, at the home stadium of the NBA's Denver Nuggets in the United States, a performance was held introducing a Chinese dance team, where Chinese performers wore Hanbok and performed Buchaechum. Last year, the Hong Kong Palace Museum posted photos on its official SNS showing performers dressed in Hanbok performing Buchaechum, introducing it as a "Chinese dance."

In response, Professor Seokyeongdeok emphasized, "Like the recent controversy over Dolsot Bibimbap, China has consistently shown movements to incorporate Korea's unique culture into its own by emphasizing that the Joseonjok's nationality and homeland are China." He added, "Now, the Korean government must respond strongly."

Netizens who came across this news expressed various reactions such as, "Since when did China perform Buchaechum wearing Hanbok? Why do they covet other countries' cultures?", "They have no basic respect for other countries," "Do they think all other countries' cultures belong to China?", "Is this how they express their inferiority complex toward Korea?", and "China covets everything good."