Professor Seo Kyung-deok from Sungshin Women’s University has raised concerns about China's imitative take on the Netflix show "Chef & My Fridge." He also pointed out the introduction of Korean kimchi as 'Pao Cai.'

On the 28th, Professor Seo stated on social media, "A cooking competition show that seems to have copied Netflix's 'Chef & My Fridge' has emerged in China, sparking controversy."

The Chinese OTT platform 'Tencent Video,' operated by Tencent, unveiled its new entertainment program 'Yi Fan Feng Shen' on the 17th. The show divides 100 chefs into two classes: 'black spoon' and 'white spoon,' for a competition. Observations have been made that the format is similar to that of 'Chef & My Fridge.' This situation has been noted among Chinese netizens as well.

Professor Seo criticized the situation, stating, "It is especially noteworthy that Netflix has clarified that they have never sold the rights to China," highlighting the seriousness of China's content imitation issue.

In the scene where kimchi is being made, it was referred to as 'Pao Cai.' Professor Seo explained, "Pao Cai is a pickled vegetable dish from the Sichuan region of China, which is similar to 'pickles' and is entirely different from kimchi."

He continued, "In recent years, China has openly promoted the 'Kimchi Fairness' narrative that kimchi originated from their country. This should serve as an opportunity to expose China's counterfeiting culture to the world and promote our kimchi more widely."

<Photo source: Netflix, Yi Fan Feng Shen, Professor Seo Kyung-deok's SNS>