China Piracy Hits MBC Drama 'The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century,' Starring IU and Byeon Woo-seok

Illegal distribution of South Korean content continues in China.

A page for MBC’s Friday-Saturday drama ‘The Grand Prince’s Wife in the 21st Century’ was recently created on Douban, China’s largest review site. As of April 23, about 10,000 users had already taken part in star ratings, and roughly 4,000 reviews had been posted.

Disney+ is not officially available in China, suggesting viewers watched the series through illegal streams before leaving reviews.
 

Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women’s University, said free streaming sites are easy to find by searching for the drama on Baidu, China’s largest portal.

“Illegal viewing has become routine in China,” Seo said, adding that what is “even more shocking” is that people “don’t feel any shame.”

Seo said Chinese authorities should step in and “actively inform” the public about the problem of illegal viewing and take steps to prevent a repeat.

The drama, starring IU and Byeon Woo-seok, is set in a 21st-century South Korea under a constitutional monarchy. It follows a romance between a wealthy conglomerate heiress frustrated by her commoner status and a king’s son saddened by having nothing, as they try to break through social barriers.