Hallyu Ban Escalates as Cruise Ship with Thousands of Chinese Passengers Refuses to Disembark in Jeju

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• Oh my! Thanks for your article cos I was wondering what THAAD was all about. Why can't everyone play nice and compromise. Both sides are valid in their stance and I just hope that it doesn't escalate any further. What is happening to the world these days.... :-(

  • I agree. Both sides have different stands and it doesn't make one more valid than the other. China is a big country and with her negative public image it's easy to label her as the "bully". But imagine China/Russia getting Mexico to deploy THAAD near the US borders. I'm pretty sure the US Govt will go ballistic too.

    The problem is that South Korea doesn't believe China's claims that North Korea isn't a threat, whereas China obviously won't compromise its own military prowess for South Korea's national security. I don't see any way around this really. It depends on how far China is willing to go when it comes to pressurising SK's economy. Clearly, if China wants do, she can do more.

    • If i were living in SK and had NK as neighbour, yes, I would be pro installing THAAD. Would you believe NK is not at threat?

    • @Rhumball: Would you want an anti-missile system with a radar that can track missiles originating from 90% of your territory? Clearly both sides are valuing their own national interests more. Since we are all third parties, why on take the stand of South Korea? People here have a bad habit of not looking at both sides of the issue. SK have their reasons for deploying THAAD, but China have their reasons for opposing it as well.

    • @kitai

      It is pretty clear that those who commenting here don't even have that much idea about THAAD. It is easy to tell that they sided SK due to their own biased opinions than anything else. It's like, kids talking about other countries military and politics.

• Every country has their own rules and regulations. China is big market, sure but fans of kpop and kdrama isn't only from China. When hallyu wave wasn't exist, kpop and kdrama still being loved by their own country (and even if I could say better in quality). Then spread to all over the world until now. It's not like Korea push China to like their dramas/ music but Chinese did like kdramas and kpop music. So, looking at how suddenly China act like this is a bit strange but it's the country regulations. Anyway, I'm sure Korea will be okay same as China. So, lets enjoy whatever we like without being overdramatic about it.

• It's true what they say : People all over the world never learn from HISTORY ... They tend to repeat the same errors... What i see is that we live in a world where peace is not " à l'ordre du jour". Sigh...

• The US will move to get THAAD situated before the election of what will probably be a more pro-China president (given who is ahead in the polls right now....not that polls can be trusted). Given that the No. Koreans love to play with their missiles with no indication that the Chinese can really control them, I imagine if I was living in So. Korea I'd be ok with THAAD but that's just me.

• Whatever it is, I think South Korea should go ahead and maintain their stance over the installation of THAAD. Once they caved in to China, the big bully will continue to dictate how their country and policy is to be run. I really don't understand why China is so sensitive over THAAD (I know the whole US related thing) but SK's concern is actually their national security especially because of the unpredictable neighbour in North Korea. Sure, Hallyu won't be able to pocket as much money with China gone but long before China entered the picture, Hallyu has pretty much left a deep impression to various regions all over the world. They should be doing fine though no longer than lucrative.

  • Exactly, thank you for your wise comment. And those who choose not to see Jeju are really hurting themselves, not only the economy in Korea. It is magical island.

  • Absolutely. If SK takes one step back, China would just keep pressing forward with their agenda and where will it all end? Instead of having a go at SK, I wish China would put more effort in reining in North Korea...

    • Yes exactly. Why don't they try to control crazy North Korea instead of blaming South Korea for trying to protect itself from the crazies next door?

    • North Korea is its brother. China is so furious against SoKor since the former is one of its allies and if they control it then they will lose their biggest costumer in arms and war equipment.You don't fight your brother right?

  • Do you really think NK is controllable tho? That's pretty naive to think..

    • Since it is universally known that North Korea is uncontrollable, don't you think that South Korea has a legitimate reason to install THAAD? This is their national security we are talking about. If I know my neighbour is some crazy psycho, I would have done the sane and beefed up the security regardless that my snobbish rich neighbour demanded me to not do so because of her own paranoia. China is always a bully, and just because they are rich, they think they can exert their ways into everything. I am so supportive of SK's stand not to backdown regardless the pressure. As pointed out here, with continous supply of great dramas, Hallyu will still make money though not that luxurios anymore.

    • @Mischa

      Do you even know why China is opposing it? As @Kitai pointed out above, I think both sides have reasonable stances. South Korea for it's own national security (although I have read somewhere that THAAD is designed to shoot down long-range missiles, so whether it will actually work against NK remains questionable. But I guess better something than nothing), and China as well for opposing against the system as it can basically serve as a telescope with it's tracking radar. And with the US offering the system to South-Korea, it is no wonder that China is flipping. Russia is not liking it as well. But there is a whole China in between Russia and South-Korea, so I guess the installation is a bigger threat to the Chinese than the Russians.

      But I guess because of China's bad reputation, people just automatically assume that they are the bully, while in fact, both countries have valid reasons for how they are reacting in this case. If it was China who is going to install a similar system near the US borders that can track their missiles, you would have them (the government) flipping as well. It's just that East-Asians (citizens of China, Korea, Japan) are much more nationalistic than Western people, so they would actually boycott one and another. Nobody here is saying that SK shouldn't install THAAD. If they think it will benefit their national security, then why not? However, if Chinese citizens (not speaking of the government's perspective) are not in the mood anymore for anything related to Korea (whether it's tourism, entertainment, cosmetics etc.) I think it's a personal choice of the consumer. The anti-Korea fever is huge in China now. Not only because of the THAAD thing, but also because of several other issues (including offensive remarks that are going viral on Weibo, against Chinese people refering them as lowly, uncivilized dogs that is screencapped from Naver/Nate and being translated in Chinese). They can decide by themselves whether they are interested in Korean entertainment or not. They can decide by themselves if they want to spend their money on Korean idols/actors or anything else (for example, move on to J-dramas or Lakorns). This will directly affect supply and demand. The demand for anything related to Korea has dropped to lower than low now in China. Even if there was no official restrictions at all, I still highly doubt whether the Chinese people are willing to spend their money on Korea or not. So speaking from a consumer's point of view, how is that being a bully? Should South-Korea take the Chinese money and high-demand for granted? Are they obligated to book a trip to Korea or to buy loads of Korean stuff? Vice versa, if South-Koreans are pissed off with the Chinese and have decided not to buy Chinese goods anymore.. that would be their freedom and personal choice as a consumer as well. Which by the way they are doing already. Apparently a boycott against Tsingdao bear is taking place. Are Korean people "bullying" Chinese people now?

    • @Bwear

      Totally agree with you.

      Seems like most of the commenters here already have formed a judgement towards China and without real understanding of the situation, just calling them bullies. It is within one's right to decide how and where they want to spend their money. Like someone below even mentioned that she/he have banned China products for 2 years and called China a bully. So, what makes her actions different than China? Lol.

    • @Bwear

      What makes it Bullying, the China gov't imposed the ban. For all we know, those Chinese tourists didn't have the choice but follow their gov't.

    • @Quoka

      No. The government did the ban but it is their (citizens) choice not to spend their money on Korea. I'm speaking in general. It is all over the weibo with people expressing their sentiments of why they supports their government.

  • The Chinese consumers have the right to boycott businesses deemed to be against their national interests. However as businesses closely associated woth the ruling party eg media companies are also involved, it is seen as state-sanctioned boycott. Their big bully image is further reinforced by their expansionist moves in the South China Sea.
    Conversely others can boycott China made goods (iPhones anyone?) to make their stand. @Quoka, you need strength in numbers.
    A better analogy than THAAD in Mexico is a nuclear-armed Taiwan. Just as China expects others to 'accept' a nuclear-armed North Korea, would she be sanguine in that scenario?

    • No country will accept a nuclear-armed Korea, China included. Do people here really think China will be okay with that herself? The best analogy will be if North Korea is sandwiched between US and Chinese territories instead, then perhaps the two can both deploy their radars and "happily" spy on each other.

      Furthermore, if you guys read up a little on the issue (WSJ), you'll know that SK has chosen to deploy THAAD in a location such that Seoul will not be protected from any missile attacks from NK. This is one of the reasons why some South Koreans are against THAAD themselves and it also contributes to China's thinking that SK is merely installing a listening post for the US.

      Who knows for sure what exactly is going on behind the scenes? We should just stop with the persecution and take a neutral stand in this whole issue. Plus, what is perplexing is not just SK's location of deployment, but also the fact that this issue is only escalating now when it's been in the plans for quite a while.

      I don't want to pretend to be an armchair expert, but I feel that a lot of opinions here are influenced by an irrational bias. I do agree, however, that with China's handling of the issue, South Korea cannot possibly back down because of national pride. And that's why I say it depends on how far China's willing to go, because they contribute more to the Korean economy than the US, and with an outright sanction South Korea has basically no choice but to yield.

    • @kitai Apparently the southern site was chosen so that THAAD is beyond the range of North Korea's missiles while providing coverage for half to two thirds of the South. It has to be supplemented with Patriot missiles for Seoul and the border regions. Does it make sense for South Korea to deploy a system that offends China, bringing with it economic pain, without having her security enhanced?
      To outsiders, it's a David vs Goliath battle. China is paranoid that her military capabilites are impacted in a future war with the US. Her 'concerns' over a nuclear-armed North Korea are that it gives the US a chance to entrench herself in a neighbourhood China considers her turf. To a third party, the Davids' existential concerns Goliath's geopolitical ambitions. If only China spends half that effort reining the North in...
      Going forward, South Korea has to diversify her economy. This is a warning to others not to be over-reliant on China, those RMB comes with strings attached.

  • I think there are many S Koreans who oppose the installation too, just that you don't see them on your news. My personal take on this matter is that, basically China n S Korea were played by the US, as only the US had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

    S Korea may be duped into installing this thing, which also put them under the mercy of the US, who knows if the US may just back stab them in the future...

  • @Bwear
    When you mentioned that it is naive for me to think that NK is controllable, I really feel bothered of where does that come from since I did not in any way imply that NK could be controlled by China.

    For the reason that NK is uncontrollable, South Korea certainly has valid reason to install THAAD. I don't give a damn that the Chinese not in a mood for anything Koreans for whatever sentiments they have but imposing a ban to put pressure on South Korea so that they could bow to China's demand is equal to bullying. It's like how my neighbor ran over my cats with cars just because she does not agree that we are keeping cats, just to exert pressure on me to give in to her demand. For what reason should I accommodate to her preference? It's the same case here. And for what China has done to the South East Asia region, China rightfully earned the title of a big bully.

    • @Nifty

      I wasn't replying to you. I was replying to a person who commented on your post. Sorry, should have @ that person.

      Anyway, people can still fly over to Korea, eat Korean barbecue, go to Lotte Mart, watch Korean dramas or shows (albeit not on streaming portals, but you can still download them, subtitles are still updated daily), refresh your daily K-showbiz news on Sina Korea, buy K-pop albums or Samsung and in this case, board off the cruise. That's a personal choice. Chinese consumers and citizens don't owe Korea money. You won't be dragged to jail if you eat bibimbap. If the interest is low, it will directly affect the demand as well. Just like the person commenting below, she/he decided to boycott Made-in-China.. Well, that's her free decision. The anti-Korea sentiment amongst citizens is actually going hand in hand with China's restriction policy. A major reason why the anti-Korea sentiment is so huge now in China is because Chinese people are legitimately pissed off. So regardless of whether there are official bans, the demand and enthusiasm in Korea and Korean goods has hit rock bottom. It's pretty much "you install your THAAD, we will love our country". Also, when inappropriate comments regarding the Chinese people/tourists describing them as "filthy, stinky China dogs who better not take a step into Korea anymore" are widely spread on Weibo.. It is no wonder that Chinese people are turned off and unwilling to visit Korea. Same goes the other way around, Korean people have the right to be pissed off as well.

    • Just as some other people have pointed out already, South Korea certainly has valid reasons to install THAAD, but China also has valid reasons to oppose it. I keep seeing the wouldn't-you-do-the-same-if-you-have-a-psycho-neighbor-next-door theory popping up here.. And that's true. But from China's perspective the same question could be asked: wouldn't you flip as well if your neighbor installed a camera with a telescope next to your window that can see through your curtains, detect every corner in your house, and spy your private movements in your house as far as peeking which password code you are using for your safe? And on top of that, your neighbor is setting this up with your biggest enemy.

      Both countries have reasonable points (for installing it and for opposing it), but people here fail to see it from both sides.. or maybe they just deliberately choose to see it from one side.

• China is supporting north Korea and nobody is bullying them for it. Why are they bullying SK in this way?
  Incredible really!!!!!

  • I wonder how many passenger really 'refused' to disembark.... Really, not one out of 3400 had an alternative or more moderate stance?

    Having observed closely the occurances in my native Hong Kong, now under China's rule, people's freedom of choice and rights has seem to have seriously deteriorated. Which is why I question if alot of the passengers were somewhat 'persuaded' not to disembark. Hell, I wouldn't put it pass China to put those people on the boat just so that they won't disembark, just to make a political statement that gets picked up by the media...

  • The excuse that China is upset that SK will now be able to track middles from its region is interesting for a country that is always crossing boundaries. HK, Tibet, Taiwan, Philippines, African countries are just a few that will talk about China placing their nose in other people business.

• So why did these Chinese tourists board the ship to SK in the first place??

  • It was a company cruise and stopped off in many cities. It was sailing from Fukuoka to Jeju for one of the stops.

    • Lol, did the Chinese tourists refuse to disembark at Fukuoka too? South Korea has assumed the hot seat from Japan as best target for wiping up nationalistic sentiments.

• In the long run I'm confident that South Korea will be okay. They have a pretty stable economy even if Halley revenues sink a little. Hallyu has also been growing in the west and if they work hard enough they should be able to reach a level where they no longer depend on China.
  China in the other hand seems to be a pro at loosing friends and alienating their neighbors.

  • Unfortunately it's the numbers that count. Hallyu has lost a huge lucrative market. The business from the combination of other countries are not enough to cover the loss of the Chinese market. The big talent agencies like SM and YG have lost half their business because of THAAD, I read it somewhere correct me if I'm wrong. Just think how much business they lost for not being able to market their movies and music to the Chinese market. It is what it is.

    • Yes, but those are sacrifices that need to be worth their freedom to amp up security without needing consent from other governments. I'm basically saying that it's a good thing the Korean economy as a whole doesn't just depend on their entertainment market. They will definitely feel the hit from the drop of its revenue but a atleast their gaming, sports, technology, food production markets do well enough to keep them in the first world even with a declining hallyu market.
      As of YG, SM, JYP I can't feel bad for people who are richer than me. The Idols will probably suffer the most.

• China is picking on South Korea just coz it's the weaker and more convenient target...They would ban all things South Korea/ Hallyu, but won't take any action against US which is the one installing the THAAD. Why don't they ban US and Hollywood too if they are so convinced about their stand? China is one country which doesn't have any consideration about concerns of other smaller countries when it comes to its ambitions (like South China Sea issue), but expect other countries to give in to their demands coz they have the economic might. I hope S Korea doesn't give in and continues doing what it feels is right for its national security.

• I'm witb South Korea, just ignore what China think. The safety of your country and people is more important.