South Korea’s cultural spats with China are growing more intense

ASUPERNATURAL DRAMA about evil spirits trying to bring down a medieval dynasty is not, you might think, to be taken too seriously. Yet when “Joseon Exorcist’‘ hit South Korean screens earlier this year, it provoked apoplexy on social media. The show was historically inaccurate, fumed pedants. Not because it showed ancient Korean royals battling the undead, but because it showed them enjoying Chinese snacks, such as mooncakes and preserved eggs. Companies pulled their advertising. The show was taken off the air after just two episodes.

The incident is just one in a series of recent rows. In the past few months South Koreans have repeatedly taken to social media to rail against the “excessive” presence of Chinese brands on domestic television, forcing actors and broadcasters to apologise. They are even more outraged when Chinese state media, diplomats and social-media users suggest that important parts of Korea’s cultural heritage such as kimchi (fermented cabbage), samgyetang (chicken soup with ginseng) or hanbok (a traditional form of dress) are in fact Chinese. In April nearly 700,000 Koreans signed a petition asking the government not to “give our land to China” by permitting a China-themed cultural park and hotel in the north-eastern province of Gangwon. In...