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| Singer Lee Hyo-ri was the latest Korean celebrity criticized by Chinese online users after she suggested using Mao as a stage name in an MBC show aired in August. Chinese viewers found her comment "disrespectful" of their late communist revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong. / Korea Times graphics by Cho Sang-won |
Advisory against extreme nationalism, understanding of Chinese system needed: experts
By Yi Whan-woo
A large number of Chinese internet users expressed criticism for Korean celebrity Lee Hyo-ri for "being disrespectful" of the communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976) after she proposed using "Mao" as her stage name in a recently televised MBC show.
The incident irked many Koreans because it comes as a reminder of China's blocking of Korean businesses from any economic activity in its territories and the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) imposition of historic and political values.
Possibly the best-known event was in 2016 when Chou Tzuyu, Taiwanese member of K-pop band Twice, apologized to the people of China for waiving Taiwan's flag ― banned under the One China Policy ― on an MBC reality show.
Whether the Chinese government was behind such incidents is disputed between experts.
They, however, agreed that the Chinese public's influence on Korean stars, their agencies, production companies and TV stations will accelerate, because Korean pop culture garners interest in China and its content can work either in favor of or against spreading patriotism within Chinese society.
"Of course, the patriotism of Chinese, Koreans and Japanese all have extreme nationalistic elements," said Park Won-gon, an international relations professor at Handong Global University. "Nevertheless, Chinese patriotism is different from the two others' as it is mainly government-driven, not motivated by the people, and it makes me believe online criticism against hallyu stars over politically sensitive issues is orchestrated by the Communist Party of China."
On the other hand, Kwak Jin-o, a senior researcher at the Northeast Asian History Foundation, was skeptical about the idea of the Chinese government inducing its people to make comments on social media over issues they are sensitive to.
"What is certain, however, is that the government in a controlled society can grant and also overlook social media activities as long as it is good for the country's leadership," Kwak said.
He argued Chinese leadership is attempting to elevate the status of President Xi Jinping, with him seeking to remain in power permanently after a two-term limit on presidency was removed.
"The incident involving Lee Hyo-ri can therefore be explained in a way that China is implicitly supporting the online users because their comments are in accordance with a move to elevate Xi to the status of a national idol, as they have done with Mao."
Choo Jae-woo, a Chinese studies professor at Kyung Hee University, speculated Korea's 2016 deployment of a U.S. THAAD missile shield is "still haunting the Korean entertainment industry."
At the time China banned Korean stars from entering the country, suspended Korean soap operas from broadcast and had K-pop concerts scrapped; some of these bans are still in place.
"In a controlled society like China, attacking a Korean celebrity online can end their career (there) instantly if the government is determined to do so. I believe that the Xi government, even though Korea says the THAAD dispute is settled, still has issues with Seoul," Choo said.
However, Kim Dong-ha, a professor at Busan University of Foreign Studies, said the Lee Hyo-ri dispute is "a mere happening."
An estimated 200,000 people left comments against Lee on Instagram, but the figure is "peanuts" considering the total number of online users is 600 million in mainland China, according to Kim.
"Moreover, most of those who commented are believed to be Chinese students in Korea. For this reason, it is pointless to try to draw out any political implications," he said.
Asked how the Korean entertainment industry should cope with Chinese influence, Park said support from civic society is crucial.
"China is a profitable market and this makes celebrities and their agencies cautious about not provoking the Chinese public," Park said, citing Lee shutting down her Instagram account after Chinese flocked to make comments on it.
"And it is the media and civic groups that can raise a voice on their behalf," he said.
Indeed, a civic group here recently launched an online campaign against what it sees as China's extreme form of nationalism, saying Chinese cyberbulling may be repeated if those under attack remain silent.
In an online petition at change.org, the Voluntary Agency Network of Korea (VANK) said, "We oppose the extreme attitude of attacking others in the name of nationalism, which is interpreting even the smallest parts of the expression in the most vicious or offensive way."
Kwak viewed the Korean entertainment companies should deepen their understanding of China while raising awareness of freedom of speech among Chinese fans.
"For instance, even if a celebrity says something that can stir up a dispute when rehearsing for a TV program, their agencies as well as production companies and broadcasters can sort out that part if they understand it goes against Chinese sentiment," he said. "At the time same time, it is important to let the Chinese know such slips of the tongue were harmless and that it is a part of freedom of speech in Korea."
Choo suggested "tailor-made" content. "We've seen Korean pop cultural exports being restricted by the Chinese government as part of Beijing's retaliation against the THAAD deployment," he said. "In such case, we do not necessarily take Chinese people's response into account when producing content but we would do so when bilateral relations and the door to the Chinese market open again."
Other analysts also said not all content but at least those aimed at the Chinese market would need to respect Chinese perspectives. "They can't sell something that can offend customers politically, diplomatically and historically," Professor Kim said.
