The Netflix original series "The Manly Kids," which has been drawing global attention, is again being illegally distributed and viewed in China, a critic has alleged. Even though Netflix does not officially operate in China, tens of thousands of reviews and hundreds of thousands of rating participants have been confirmed, reigniting controversy over illegal viewing.
Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, criticized copyright infringement in China through his social media on the 9th, saying, "Chinese netizens are once again illegally consuming Korean content."
On the Chinese content rating platform Douban, "The Manly Kids" currently holds a rating of 8.7 out of 10. About 140,000 people have participated in the star ratings, and more than 50,000 reviews have been posted.
Netflix does not provide official service in mainland China. For this reason, analysts say such usage records likely indicate that the work was viewed through illegally distributed video content locally.
Seo pointed out that searching for the title on Baidu, China's largest search portal, easily turns up illegal sites advertising free viewing, and that copyright infringement is effectively being left unchecked. "In China, illegally consuming Korean content is being repeated as an everyday occurrence," he said.
This is not the first such case. Korean content that has enjoyed great popularity at home and abroad, including "Squid Game," "The Glory," "Culinary Class Wars," and "KPop Demon Hunters," has also sparked controversy several times over illegal streaming and unauthorized sharing in China.
Seo also called for more active measures from Chinese authorities. "Illegal viewing and copyright infringement should no longer be left unchecked," he stressed. "Intensive crackdowns on illegal distribution sites are needed, along with effective measures to prevent recurrence."
