Will U.S. ban Pororo animation?
By Lee Tae-hoon
The United States operates sanctions that would ban South Korean products produced in partnership with North Korea, Radio Free Asia (RFA), a U.S.-based nonprofit radio and Internet news service, reported Wednesday.
Citing Dick Nanto, a senior researcher at the U.S. Congressional Research Service, RFA claimed that the hit animated cartoon series, “Pororo the Little Penguin,” will be on the list of items that Washington will prohibit from being imported.
Iconix Entertainment, a South Korean animation company, created 18 of the 182 animated episodes with Samcheonri, a graphic design firm in North Korea.
A new regulation announced in the U.S. Federal Register on Monday states that “the importation into the United States, directly or indirectly, of any goods, services, or technology from North Korea is prohibited.”
Iconix remained cautious whether the new measure will affect its sales, which stood at 27 billion won ($25.1 million) last year.
“We have yet to be informed of new restrictions to be imposed by the United States,” said Kang Young-hye, a spokesman of the Seoul-based company.
The state-run Seoul Business Agency estimates the penguin character’s brand value at 389.3 billion won.
Lee Jang-hie, a law professor at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, claimed that the U.S. regulation shows double standards in Washington.
“The new guideline will mandate any items partly or completed produced in North Korea to be subject to its screening system,” he said. “It is, however, unclear whether a product jointly produced between the two Koreas should be automatically banned.”