KOR-CHN FILM’S RELEASE PUSHED BACK

[Anchor Lead]

A jointly made Korean and Chinese film that was set for release in China this weekend after a 4 year delay has again been pushed back. The film’s release was considered a signal China’s ban on Korean cultural contents may now be lifted and so the latest development is even more disappointing.

[Pkg]

A movie about a man who turns into a cat due to a spell and his relationship with a woman he loves. Production was funded by China. A K-pop idol band member was cast as the male lead. So it made headlines when filming began in 2016.

[Soundbite] "I’m afraid I’ll turn into a cat whenever I’m with you."

However it's release was pushed back time and again amid Beijing's boycott of Korean cultural contents since 2017 caused by a diplomatic row over South Korea’s deployment of a U.S. missile defense system. There were news the movie will be released after 4 years with heightened expectations of such measures finally being lifted. But the release is put on hold again. Movie trailers and posters have been deleted from Chinese film ticket booking sites. There’s no announcement explaining the delay or when it will open. Some Chinese netizens speculated that nationalist forces may have raised issues with the Korean cast, to cause the postponement.

[Soundbite] Yoon Chang-eob(CEO, production agency MoonWatcher) : "The film’s release could be viewed as a lifting of the ban when officially there was no such ban in place on Beijing’s part. I think that kind of mood may have placed a burden on going ahead with the release."

In China, 45 films and TV dramas featuring Korean actors are currently put on hold. The latest development confirmed Hallyu is still put on hold in China, a clear reminder that normalizing bilateral cultural exchanges could take more time.