New Jeans ignites ‘cultural robbery controversy’

The group New Jeans received a barrage of malicious comments from some Chinese people. This is because he appeared in a promotional video promoting the excellence of Hanji. He claimed that paper originated in China and claimed 'cultural robbery'. New Jeans, contrary to his intention to appear, became the target of malicious comments.

New Jeans recently appeared in a promotional video for the '2022 Korean Wave-linked Collaborative Content Planning and Development Support Project in the Hanji Field' by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Craft and Design Promotion Agency (Gongjinwon).

In the video, New Jeans members talked about the history, durability, and functions of Hanji. We also had time to make Hanji ourselves with Han Ji-yong.

A video mainly introducing Hanji. Some Chinese focused elsewhere. In fact, they expressed their displeasure on New Jeans' official SNS account by saying, 'The country that first made paper was China.'

One netizen made a politically sensitive comment, saying, “When Wang Xizhi (a calligrapher from Eastern Jin, China, who perfected the calligraphy of Haeji, Xingshu, and Chu calligraphy) existed, there was no Paochai country.” Pao Chai is the Chinese name for kimchi. The claim that kimchi is Chinese culture caused conflict.

The barrage of negative comments from Chinese people towards New Genes is part of the ‘Northeast Project’. The Northeast Project refers to China’s unified perception of history. Paper originated in China, but Hanji is also a developed culture. They did not acknowledge the cultures of other countries and insisted that all history began in China.

These days, the Korean restrictions are gradually being eased. Cultural exchanges, which had been closed for the past few years, are gradually opening up. Everyone was welcoming the open movement of China, which is said to be a major market for the cultural industry.

However, negative perceptions toward China are expected to continue due to this incident. The reason is China's arrogant attitude and avoidance of domestic pro-China celebrities.

Singer Henry has agreed with China's political ideology. He supported ‘One China’ and even appeared on the Chinese entertainment show ‘Jeqi Simu Season 4’ for the Northeast Project. Because of this, there was antipathy in the country, and to this day, he has not been able to freely engage in entertainment activities.

The same goes for Chinese idols who were active in Korea. EXO's Kris, Luhan, Tao, and Victoria gained recognition through idol activities and then headed to China. As the price increases, activities in China become more profitable. Noise during the leaving process is not important. They do not hesitate to file lawsuits or break contracts with their agencies.

This is the ‘history of backstabbing’ of Chinese celebrities. This is why people are suspicious when Chinese name tags appear in K-pop. The position of K-pop officials is perplexing. There has been distrust in China, but it is a huge market that cannot be separated.

They promote Hanji and are a people who talk about the ‘origin of paper.’ Furthermore, there is no respect for the celebrities who appear. New Jeans became a victim of China’s stubbornness. It's a situation where I have to accept it without being able to say a word.

Reporter Junho Yoon, Ten Asia delo410@tenasia.co.kr