Korean Stars Get Blacklisted in China Due to Sino-Korean Beef Over THAAD Deployment

View Comments

• I kinda had a feeling this would happen as I didn't think the Chinese government would be thrilled with Hallyu being so popular in China.

  • That's the thing with doing business in china - very unpredictable and not worth it - the goverment can pull the rug from under you at any time, for whatever reason. Better not to depend on china if possible and a good lesson learned early. A joint production is a win-win for both sides. Oh well. For southkorea, protecting itself from crazy north korea is more important.

• Sigh. China being a big bully. Using their market share and money to arm twist others. Urgh. Acting like a kindergarten kid- Don't listen to me? I won't friend you! This is why I hate politics. And in the end, their own citizens suffer because they don't get to watch these stars, and the Korean stars suffer as well, because they probably turned other offers down to star in China.

  • It is bullying behaviour, but the Chinese have their own stars - the loss of a handful of foreign entertainers and idols, most of whom don't even speak the language, is nothing to a Chinese audience. They'll always choose national loyalty over a handsome face.

    Thankfully for Song Joong Ki, he's already super popular in Korea so he doesn't have to depend as much on China as some other Hallyu flower boys, and he's getting back to work on a Korean movie very soon.

    • The Chinese citizens as if they have a choice...

    • I don't know how Chinese government can handle this, they even made in the hanger version. http://www.soompi.com/2016/08/05/song-joong-ki-hallyu-hangers-rage-china/ lol

• Boycot China too! They can't survive without other countries too, they remind me of Trump, they can take on everything alone. Sure...keep telling yourself that....

  • China view SK's installation of the US-developed THAAD as highly provocative because a nuclear defense system installed by a US ally so near to Mainland China can be deployed against them, especially if Trump is the next president. It's like their enemy borrowing their next door neighbours house to keep their gun collection and bulldogs. China will be forced to tone down their provocations in the South China Sea because of the THAAD at their doorstep.

    China doesn't give two fex about the nuclear system being deployed on their puppet buffer state NK, USA and SK will not want the NK buffer state to fall either because it benefits nobody and there'll be millions of NK refugees. SK is not defending against NK, it's China SK & USA are bothered about.

    • chinese propaganda

    • That is very paranoid thinking. Why on earth do you think SK is not defending against NK? NK has the capability and has directly threatened SK that it will annilate and take-over SK. Don't you know anything about SK-NK politics. Obviously you don't care. You only care about the Communist China point of view. And if US wants to hurt china, all it needs to do is pull out all of its business and manufacturing in China. USA doesn't see China as a threat, because it's not.

• Poor sjk his fifteen minutes didn't even get to expire.

  • LOL...he's lucky compared to LMH's upcoming drama. Only 15 minutes pay? I don't think he cares much but sure Chinese self-claimed wifeydom would be gone depressed. LOL

    • Lol but LMH has already established himself well all over the world and not only China as compared to others. Everyone gets affected by this but LMH has more outlets compared to others.

    • LOL. You stole my name for the upcoming year. Hahahahahahahahah

  • I hate read ALL your comments. Hye Jin you f*c*?

• This is not surprising, Hallyu exists solely at the mercy of politics in the countries it's exported to. First Japan, now China.

  So much for all those people going around claiming their (Korean) oppar is 'the greatest star in the world' because they have China relevance, ha!

  • I'm actually emotionally indifferent to this new censorship. The ones who are impacted most may be those K actors whose main activity platform is in China, such as Park Ha Jin.

• Park Hae Jin will be really affected. He's been focusing so much in China. At least his last drama has finished airing (I think).

  A pity that a good drama like "W: Two Worlds" will suffer from this.

  • PHJ's last cdrama finished airing in March or April so I think he's safe. His next project is a Korean drama anyway, so he has work for now.

    But yeah, future China-oriented projects are screwed, more or less.

    • It aired already? I thought it hadn't yet. Its the one he helped produced right? I was waiting for it. Care to share a link?

    • I guess he has 1 or 2 other dramas that hasn't been aired yet.

  • guess we can kiss the CITT movie goodbye

• Pity the Hallyu stars.Trust China to flex its financial muscles to push its political agenda. That's why artistes active in the mainland market rushed out to support its nine dash line claim.

• I don't understand why China being so sensitive over THAAD when the direct concern of South Korea is actually North Korea and not China. But I do understand that China is the only country that has a good relation with North Korea. China is a huge market and South Korea been focusing so much on China especially that Hallyu has loses its steam in Japan but still pretty strong in other Asian regions especially Southeast Asia. Its a huge loss for the chinese fans and at the same time even bigger losses for the Korean entertainment industry. I am not sure if the whole banning is really triggered by THAAD issue or it is just an excuse to refrain the domination of Hallyu in China.

  • I think it's more because SK partnered with USA to install THAAD which irks them more. This gives USA a bit of increased presence in the region which China doesn't like.

    Though if we're counting, SK only turned to USA for help because China refused to "scold"(?) NK when it was being aggressive in the region.

  • It's the same as the US opposing Iran getting S-300 missile defense system from Russia. Iran considers S-300 system as a defensive tool against possible Israel air raids. But why do the US, who are some thousands of miles away from Iran, is against it?

    • LOL...the reason is simple! Because Israel is an ally of the US. Similarly, S. Korea, Taiwan, and even Japan, are allies of the US. That's just an obvious no-brainer fact.

    • So? The US can oppose but China not?

    • @Bobby, that's not my point. I wasn't about should or should not, who should or who should not, but just stated an obvious fact about international politics. It's useless to argue which country is entitled or more righteous to do certain acts. It's all about balancing power.

    • @Drama2016

      "It’s all about balancing power."

      Yes. And the US is trying to destroy that balance in the region by deploying THAAD. THAAD is declared as a defensive weapon but it can also monitor both China and Russia's territory and aerial space some hundreds of miles deep into their countries. That's why it's both defensive and offensive weapon. Imagine your neighbor installs some kind of anti-burglary device on his fence, but the device has an ability to see what is inside your house and what you are doing at home. You won't like it, right?

    • Well, it's not a secret that China, secretly or overtly, has been using all kinds of means to flex her military muscles in the region too. Do you naively think that Chinese are more decent than other global citizens to just stay quietly in their own houses as couch potatoes watching K dramas? LOL... Surely their defense system also constantly spies her neighbors. Therefore based on what logic can Chinese justify their military ambition but not the US? It's also well known that Chinese are the source of hackers into American financial and other governmental security systems. You seem to justify (or should I say cut slack) one country's military agenda but denounce another country's security measures. Chinese take THAAD as offensive and intrusive. But for S. Korea and the US, it's a defense measure. It's all about power struggles. China doesn't want to see the influence of the US in her neighborhood. Equally the US and her allies like S. Korean, Japan, and Taiwan are wary of Chinese military ambition too.

    • @Drama2016

      "China doesn’t want to see the influence of the US in her neighborhood. Equally the US and her allies like S. Korean, Japan, and Taiwan are wary of Chinese military ambition too."

      Right and it has been like that for decades without any major escalations. CHN knew about US military/geopoltical amibtions. The US knew about CHN military/geopolitical amibitions. Both sides knew each other's intentions and abilities and was not really keen on escalating things. This is called "status quo". But now the US wants to destroy that "status quo" lol

    • damn... "calating" is Bobby

    • Not ok for Iran to get a missile defense system because the government is too unstable and a haven for ISIS terrorists and nobody is threatening it anyways. No country wants Iran to have a missile defense system except Iran. Comparing this situation is an error in logic. Different countries involved and different situation.

    • In my opinion, China is upsetting the balance - not other countries. Weaker countries have a right to protect themselves and not be picked on by China. USA is a major importer of Chinese goods and products. There is nothing against China, but its encroachment on other countries shouldn't be tolerated. The missile defense system is not on China's land so China doesn't need to give a shit.

    • @crystal

      Sigh this is s problem with ignorant, brainwashed americans like you. Always talk loud about things you don't have idea about, most of the time totally misinformed and lack of knowledge.

      "Iran to get a missile defense system because the government is too unstable and a haven for ISIS terrorists and nobody is threatening it anyways"

      Iran is actually one of those countries actually fighting against ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria. Is that your media who told you Iran was on ISIS side? WTF? This just shows how much awfully brainwashed you are.

  • I think that not a real reason, there something from sk thing, which hurt nk and china feeling, but maybe sk don't realize that. Some artist from china treated unfair too,in sk.

  • Because the labeled as a defensive ABM system can be turned into an offensive missile within overnight. THAAD also allows the USA military to peek deep into China's territories (esp. the northeastern area), even the far-east region of the Russian Federation is covered by the THAAD system as well.

    By this ABM installation, Seoul will put itself as a legitimate strategic target by both Chinese and Russian missiles when a serious crisis evolves and the THAAD becomes serious threat to the strategic balance!

    • That's right. Entertainment fan girls need to realize that not everything is so simple as it looks.

    • Chinese authority may appear very petty to meddle in showbiz using THAAD as a shielding excuse. It would be a simpleton to think banning certain celebrities and ent products would change the foreign policy of a country! LOL...This so-called retaliation or sanction just appears very comical and doesn't justify to be a wise strategy to make any significant impact at all. I'm pretty sure S. Korea makes a lot lot lot more profits from the Chinese market by selling Samsung Galaxy than exporting K dramas or Kpop concerts to the Chinese market. The economic impact of this showbiz sanction is insignificant to S. Korea. LOL...The ban on K ent products looks ridiculously childish unless as Hu mentioned, THAAD is just a timely and hidden excuse for Chinese authority to temper Hallyu influence. I see the latter more plausible since I don't think Chinese authority would be such political simpletons.

      Nevertheless, I see Chinese authority still does stupid things with kinda mentality of ancient Chinese imperialism that regards China as a superior country to her neighbors.

      THAAD a serious threat to the strategic balance in the region? Such spurious logic. As a matter of fact, all the Far East neighbors of China deem this rising power as a threat and would like to have greater presence from another superpower (legitimately the US) in the region. From Chinese perspectives THAAD is a great threat. But her weaker neighbors think the other way - THAAD is to beef up their defense against the threat from China.

      Ok. I didn't expect to chime in with long ass paragraphs but can't help. LOL....Let's better not talk about politics. I'll turn really serious when politics and religion are discussed, which I prefer not to on a drama forum.

    • @Drama2016

      Yes, THAAD a serious threat to the strategic balance in the region. It destroys status quo in the region. Imagine Cuba deploying russian-made S-400 missile DEFENSE system. Imagine how would the US react? Oh yeah, another Cariebean sea crisis. But this time China reaction to THAAD is way calmer and toned down than then US response in 1962.

      And China put a ban on hallyu wave because it's the easiest thing you can live without. No hallyu wave, ordinary people can still live on and enjoy their daily life without suffering. Putting a ban on everyday life goods (hone appliance, food products etc) is more problematic and can harm people's life directly.

    • @po, that's why I said such a sanction on K ent is insignificant both politically and economically.

      THAAD destroys the balance of the region? I guess you're a Chinese so you took a position from Chinese perspectives. But put in the shoes of non Chinese in the region, I'm sure they do like to see greater presence of the US force in the region bcos they see China as a military threat given rising territory disputes between China and her neighboring countries.

      Again, I'm not saying who's right or wrong. In politics, specifically international politics, it's too complicated to just play by general moral standards.

    • "po" is Bobby

• Man Yoona got real lucky her drama already aired and her album was just released in China.

  So what will happen to all the other completed dramas where Korean actors/actress starred in? Will they just never air it or refilm the scenes? Braveness of the Ming will probably just get shelved since that drama was filmed a year ago.. Poor Park Min Young *sigh*.

  • Hopefully everyone who's filmed cdramas already has been paid so at least they don't end up totally screwed financially if their segments don't make it to air.

    • Usually business contracts including international trade (e.g. sino-Korean collab) are supposed to have terms and conditions to follow. I don't think getting due pays will be a concern for those who already finished filming. Instead, it will be losses to the investors who won't see the days to reap investment profits from the blocked dramas.

  • Not to mention, Park Min Young is still filming another Chinese drama. Not sure if that will will finish.

• Good for SJK because his fan meeting has finished before this thing. His agency confirmed that he has not negotiated any movie or appearances in china so definitely he has not affected that much. If that would be the case he will be the last new hallyu star in the making until this banning is not been lifted yet.