Park Hae-jin unaffected by Chinese ban on Korean culture

SEOUL, March 7 (Yonhap) — Korean cultural content and their stars are now under a massive ban in China as a protest over Seoul’s decision to deploy an advanced U.S. missile defense system, but popular actor Park Hae-jin appears to be an exception to the measure.

China’s largest online video sharing platforms Youku and Sohu Video covered a formal dinner held in Seoul on Monday to celebrate the end of shooting for actor Park Hae-jin’s new TV series “Man to Man.”

They interviewed the lead star as he walked into the restaurant to attend the event and Youku broadcast live its 10-minute interview with him.

South Korean actor Park Hae-jin

“We were surprised to see so many officials from Chinese video sharing services gathering at the scene,” an official at Mountain Movement that manages Park said. “We instantly watched Youku’s live broadcast of the event and relevant articles from some Chinese media in China.”

Earlier, China’s major video-streaming sites — Youku, Tencent Video and iQiyi — deleted the latest installments from the popular Korean TV variety shows, such as “Infinite Challenge,” “Running Man” and “Two Days, One Night,” in line with the Chinese government’s ban on Korean pop culture.

Park rose to fame in China for his role in the 2011 Chinese drama “Qian Duo Duo Get Married” that became a nationwide sensation. He later starred in three more dramas, including “Far Away Love” that earned him a top acting award in the country. His new series “Man To Man” has drawn much attention from the Chinese media.

The pre-produced JTBC drama finished its shooting Monday and is set to premiere April 21. Park takes the role of a spy agent given a mission to safeguard a top Korean celebrity enjoying Asiawide popularity in the drama.