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Chinese netizens have recently shrugged off South Korean audiences' heated overreaction to Chinese elements constantly appearing in their TV shows.

Starring Blackpink member Jisoo, the recently popular South Korean TV series Snowdrop has once again drawn criticism from many viewers in South Korea with the prominent appearance of a Mahjong table in Episode Four, which was released on December 25, 2021. This follows an earlier controversy in which viewers accused the show of distorting history.

"It seems like pandering to the Chinese market," said one viewer on Twitter, commenting on the scene that sees various middle-aged women converse as they play a round of Mahjong.

Discussing the criticism, many viewers in China noted that they didn't care whether or not Chinese elements appeared in South Korean TV series.

"I'm just tired of the cultural quarrels between the two sides. Why don't we just watch the show," said one viewer on Sina Weibo who said they had been binged watching the drama over the past few days.

Other netizens pointed out that this is not "the first time that viewers from South Korea have been oversensitive about the appearance of Chinese elements" in South Korean shows. 

In March, horror series Joseon Exorcist was the center of a dramatic controversy that saw it lose its sponsors, be pulled broadcast and then canceled all within the first five days of its debut, partially for the appearance of Chinese props and Chinese food in the first two episodes.

Vincenzo, airing from February 20 to May 2, 2021, earned quite high ratings within South Korea, but was also attacked by viewers in the country for featuring product placement for a Chinese brand of instant bibimbap, a type of Korean rice dish. 

"Cultural products such as TV dramas should be inclusive, as criticism such as this will hinder the spread of the culture of a nation."

South Korean TV has a long history of Chinese product placement considering the K-dramas' worldwide influence, which some insiders say could bring those brands into a larger world market.

In the last episode of the 2014 K-drama Three Days, Chinese online shopping platform Taobao made an appearance in a scene in which the two main characters used the Taobao App to make a restaurant reservation. In the 2019-20 series Crash Landing on You, advertisements for China's ecommerce platform Jingdong(JD) also appears in several episodes.

Global Times