Low-Rent Chinese Soap in Copycat Row

Published on 2014/10/17 | Source

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then a low-rent Chinese soap firmly establishes Korean TV dramas at the top of entertainment products in the world's most populous country.

"The Heirs from the Star", a 10-episode Chinese miniseries, has understandably stirred up a plagiarism controversy with its mash-up of two popular Korean soaps, "The Heirs" and "My Love from the Star".

It started airing on Chinese drama website iQIYI on Sept. 19.

Now, the producers have announced they will try and flog the tatty hybrid to Korea.

Chinese media on Monday said the producers have nearly completed the Korean dubbing and hope to sell it to a Korean streaming website.

The series has been widely derided for its shoddy production values, with Chinese viewers describing it as a mash-up of McDonalds and KFC.

The producers said they still have work to do on the theme tune and are looking for a Korean singer for it.

Yoo Hyun-bo from HB Entertainment, which produced "My Love from the Star", said, "We haven't looked at it and we won't be fooled by the hype".

Nam Sung-hyun at Korea Copyright Commission took a lenient view. "It's absurd, but this kind of thing will happen more frequently as exchanges between Korea and China increase", he said.