Korean movies have been banned at this year's prestigious Beijing Film Festival which will happen from April 6-23. Chinese authorities have reportedly ordered that entries from Korea will not be screened at the festival.
According to a report from Korea Joongang Daily, Korean filmmakers were invited to participate in the annual event but Chinese authorities have put their foot down and ordered that Korean films will not be screened at all this year. Some reports hinted that some Korean movies have earlier been screened by the body and were actually included in the shortlist for awards at the festival.
"The Beijing International Film Festival has invited Koreans but have suspended this because of Chinese authorities' orders," a source told the publication. "Thus, it appears Korean films will not be screened at the film festival."
It is believed that the decision stems from tensions between China, US and Korea because of the Thaad policy. In recent months, Korean music and movies have been taking the hit from the decision of Seoul and Washington deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or Thaad, system to Korea.
Because of the policy, Chinese authorities have reportedly hit back at Korea through entertainment and tourism by limiting the amount of Hallyu content that can be disseminated through public channels. This means that little to no Korean movies or music are being screened or played in theaters, or radio stations in China despite the growing influence of Hallyu culture in the world.
The Chinese government has also reportedly imposed a crackdown on Korean retailers in China as well as restricted tour packages to Korea for tourists. It was recently reported that actor Ha Jung Woo was denied a visa to China for the supposed filming for a film with Zhang Ziyi.
According to a report by Chosun News, the order comes as a big blow for Korean filmmakers who have in the past year's excelled in the film festival. Last year, "Legend of the Blue Sea" actor Lee Min Ho even participated in the opening ceremony of the event which was aired nationwide.
