MBC drama ‘Perfect Crown’ has been identified as another Korean title being viewed illegally in China, following similar concerns involving other recent productions.
Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University stated on social media that ‘Perfect Crown’ is experiencing damage from illegal streaming by some Chinese viewers.
The drama is distributed globally through Disney+ but does not have an official release in China. Even so, as of the 23rd, the Chinese review platform Douban had already opened a page for the series, where more than 10,000 users had submitted ratings and over 4,000 reviews had been posted.
Professor Seo said that if users search for ‘Perfect Crown’ on Baidu, China’s largest portal site, they can easily find websites offering the drama for free. He argued that illegal viewing has become commonplace and called on Chinese authorities to address the issue and prevent similar cases from continuing.
Online reactions included comments comparing the situation to previous cases involving Korean content that had also been viewed illegally in China.
Meanwhile, ‘Perfect Crown’ stars IU and Byeon Woo-seok. Set in a 21st-century constitutional monarchy version of Korea, the drama follows the romance between a chaebol heiress and the king’s son.