Chinese food product Zi Hai Guo, in South Korean TV series Vincenzo. Photo: Sina Weibo

A scene that features popular Chinese food product Zi Hai Guo, in South Korean TV series Vincenzo, will be removed from OTT platforms, following recent debate among South Korean netizens about Chinese product placement, according to Yonhap news agency. 

The decision was announced by the TV drama’s producers on Wednesday, explaining that the scene which shows the Chinese product has been removed in videos on South Korean streaming platforms, and it will soon also be removed from overseas streaming platforms two or three days later. 

The controversial scene was in the eighth episode, in which the lead actress Hong Cha-young hands Song, who plays the titular character Vincenzo Cassono, a bowl of instant beef-stirred rice dish, which is believed by South Korean netizens to be bibimbap, a Korean rice dish traditionally served in a stone bowl, from the Chinese brand Zi Hai Guo. 

Though the scene sparked anger among South Korean netizens, opening a can of worms about Chinese brands and products seemingly becoming more and more common in South Korean cultural productions, netizens in China seem to view the issue from a different perspective, considering cross-cultural product placement a form of cultural exchange which it provide new opportunities to both sides. 

“East Asian cultures carry some similarities; that’s why I like South Korean dramas. I think we should take that for good, stop accusing [each other] on which belongs to which and embrace our shared cultural similarities,” a k-pop fan in Beijing, told the Global Times on Thursday.