Under THAAD, no South Korean entertainment
Top society and culture news for March 2, 2017. Part of the daily The China Projectย news roundup "Donโt meet Trump until 'his head is covered with bumps' โ PLA adviser"
- China blocks Korean entertainment on streaming platforms over THAAD rowย / Billboard
China has reportedly blocked access to the latest South Korea music and dramas on the countryโs online video-sharing platforms. The move is widely seen as part of Chinaโs retaliatory actions against South Korea, which plans to install a THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile defense system near Seoul. In January, concerts by South Korean soprano Sumi Jo, which were to take place in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in February, were canceled. On Tuesday, a China foreign ministry spokesperson was asked if the block on video platforms was in retaliation for the THAAD installation. His replyย (in Chinese): โChina always has a clear and consistent position on THAAD. In response to the specific circumstances you mentioned, I personally donโt watch South Korean drama or entertainment. I canโt answer.โ Chinese social media eruptedย with various reactions. Some netizens welcomed the decision, with one comment reading, โNational interests first. I voluntarily boycott South Korean entertainment.โ Others, however, questioned โwhy the public should be denied entertainment access because of a political crisis.โ
- Following the elections in the West โ Chinese reactions on Wilders and โthe rise of the rightโย / Whatโs on Weibo
- Big in China: Movies that earn more RMB than US$ย / China Film Insider
- A Chinese period drama named its bad guys after todayโs ruling elite โ and the censors missed itย / Quartz
- The subtle brilliance of โMr. Donkeyโ – the success of a darkly comic filmย / LARB Blog
- 10 White Houses, 4 Arcs de Triomphe, 2 Sphinxes…now Chinaโs Tower Bridge attracts scornย – replica architectureย / NYT (paywall)