KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 1 — The controversial scene featuring a Chinese product in popular Korean TV series Vincenzo is being removed from streaming services.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that an instant Chinese bibimbap brand was exposed as lead characters Vincenzo (Song Joong-ki) and Cha-young (Jeon Yeo-bin) were having a meal in the eighth episode of the dark comedy that aired on March 14 on tvN.
Bibimbap is a popular Korean dish consisting of a bowl of warm white rice topped with seasoned vegetables and chili pepper paste.
The scene was frowned upon by Korean viewers amid recent Chinese claims that some elements of Korean culture, including kimchi, originated from China.
The series producers said they have already canceled exposure of the Chinese product in videos on Korean streaming platforms.
They noted that it will probably take two or three more days for them to remove the controversial clips from overseas streaming platforms.
Vincenzo started broadcasting on Feb. 20, and is also available on Netflix.
The move came in the wake as South Koreans started to question the increasing Chinese influence on the Korean entertainment industry.
Some previous and upcoming TV series that are known to be based on Chinese originals or have Chinese sponsorship deals have been under fire for recklessly importing Chinese culture.
The historical fantasy Mr. Queen, a remake of the Chinese web drama Go Princess Go, was a target of anti-China sentiment and stoked controversy over distortion of history.
The show's video-on-demand service was dropped from local streaming platform Tving last weekend.
