China Can't Access Netflix... Tens of Thousands of Reviews for "A Genuine Education"?

"Illegal streaming sites are easy to find"

"Urgent need for Chinese authorities to crack down on illegal viewing"

Allegations have once again surfaced that some Chinese internet users are illegally watching Korean video content. This comes as a large number of reviews related to the popular Netflix drama "Genuine Education" have been posted on Chinese review sites.

Professor Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women's University stated on his Facebook page on July 9, "Netflix is not officially available in China, yet over 140,000 people have participated in the ratings for 'Genuine Education' on a content review site. More than 50,000 reviews have also been uploaded."

He further pointed out, "Even just searching for 'Genuine Education' on Baidu, China's largest portal site, makes it easy to find illegal sites where you can watch the show for free."

A genuine education review site registered on the Chinese social networking service (SNS) platform 'Douban'. Screenshot from Seokyungduck's Facebook.

He explained, "Currently, 'Genuine Education' is enjoying great popularity among viewers around the world through Netflix. In the past, Netflix titles such as 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' 'Squid Game,' 'Chef in Black and White,' and 'The Glory' have also sparked controversy both in Korea and abroad due to the ongoing illegal viewing by some Chinese internet users."

He added, "Illegal viewing in China has become an everyday occurrence. What is even more shocking is that they feel no sense of shame. It is now time for the Chinese authorities to take a much more proactive response."

Professor Seo emphasized, "It is urgent not to leave the situation of normalized illegal viewing unattended any longer, and to intensively crack down on illegal activities in the country and implement measures to prevent recurrence."

In fact, a rating page for "Genuine Education" has been registered on Douban, a Chinese social networking service (SNS) platform, where the program currently holds a rating of 8.7 out of 10. Over 140,000 local internet users have participated in the evaluation, and the number of reviews has reached more than 50,000. While "Genuine Education" is available on Netflix, since Netflix is not serviced in China, it appears that the majority of these users have watched the content through illegal means.

Meanwhile, the drama "Genuine Education," which deals with the realities of Korea's public education system, has been enjoying high popularity since its release on Netflix. As of June 24, during its third week of release, it ranked first for three consecutive weeks in the non-English show category.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.