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South Korean girl group 4 Minute performs on the stage during the K-Pop All-Star live concert in Niigata, northern Japan, on Saturday, August 20, 2011. Cai Yufang, 21, is a big fan of South Korean television dramas like “Shopping King Louie”, a show about a profligate chaebol heir who loses his memory and learns the value of love and labor from a sweet, simple country girl. The Shanghai student is one of millions of young Chinese consumers with a huge appetite for South Korean pop culture whose regular viewing habits have been disrupted by growing political tensions between the countries. The mainland chill on South Korean content that follows Seoul’s decision to deploy a missile defense system, however, is driving Chinese fans to get their “K-culture” fixes on peer-to-peer platforms instead of mainstream sites such as Youku, Tencent and iQiyi where some content has been taken down. The three sites did not respond to requests for comment. “Korean dramas, and especially variety shows, are no longer being updated, so I can’t watch any more. There are no links – it’s a bit annoying, really”, said Cai. “For a lot of young Chinese who like Korean culture, it’s a real shame”. Cai added that eager viewers were already finding alternative channels. She has started following a group on a Chinese messaging service called “Watch drama together” that provides links to shows on file sharing platforms like Baidu Cloud. The blackout reflects a wider cultural freeze, with South Korean singers and actors blocked, dozens of South Korean-focused blogs suspended, tourism bans and product boycotts. (Photo by Koji Sasahara/AP Photo)
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