Recently, Korean netizens discovered that BLACKPINK's latest Netflix documentary, "BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky" is being illegally distributed on China's version of YouTube.
On October 14, Wednesday, a user uploaded the whole 79-minute video of the Netflix documentary with Chinese subs on to the Chinese version of Youtube, Bilibili. It can be found with one quick search - simply typing in the words "Netflix BLACKPINK" will bring you to the video.
BLACKPINK's documentary was produced by Netflix and is meant to only be accessed on Netflix's platform. Therefore, the video is uploaded onto a Chinese video website is considered illegal, and the user can face legal action.
Many Korean netizens have pointed out how many Chinese netizens have expressed their disdain for Korean idols and Korean culture, yet still watch Korean content. Many have also brought up that China still has a law that bans imports from South Korea due to the tension between the two countries. "China was against the Korean culture," one netizen wrote. "But their people still illegally watch Korean content."
Notably, the BLACKPINK documentary is being illegally distributed by the same website that is illegally distributing a video of BTS's online concert. On October 13, Tuesday, it was confirmed that the entire duration of BTS's online concert, "BTS MAP OF THE SOUL ON:E" was uploaded to the website.
The video of BTS's online concert was posted on October 12, Monday, a day prior to the reporting. The video on Bilibili contains all two and a half hours of BTS's concert. It is easy to search up; simply typing up "BTS" will show the video on the first page of results.
At the time, many people found it ironic how Chinese netizens had swarmed to watch a video of BTS's online concert. Currently, BTS is under hot waters in China following BTS's speech after they won the Van Fleet Award. As RM acknowledged the sacrifices both the United States and South Korea made during the Korean War, many Chinese netizens thought RM was being disrespectful to China's fallen soldiers, who fought on North Korea's side during the Korean War.
ALSO READ: Chinese Version of YouTube Illegally Distributing Video of BTS's Online Concert
BLACKPINK, on the other hand, is extremely well-loved by Chinese netizens. People are especially fond of Lisa following her stint as a dance mentor on "Youth With You", where she gained fame for her cute personality but strict and thorough teaching. Following her appearance on the show, Lias garnered 6.2 million followers on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, and became the endorser for two high-profile advertisements, Meng Niu's Zhenguoli Yogurt and Downy China.
What do you think of the situation?
On October 14, Netflix dropped their first-ever K-pop centered documentary, "BLACKPINK: Light Up The Sky". The documentary revolves around BLACKPINK and talks about their life as trainees, the last four years of their careers as idols, the hardships the girls faced, and what they think of their level of popularity. The documentary also shows fans the group's recording process and has honest interviews with the girls of BLACKPINK, where they share honest stories about their lives. The documentary is available worldwide on Netflix.
