Song Hye Kyo’s ‘The Glory’ Suffers Same Fate as ‘Reborn Rich’ – Here’s What Happened
Song Hye Kyo's new drama "The Glory" was illegally distributed to China like what happened to Song Joong Ki's "Reborn Rich."
The revenge drama series, helmed by "Record of Youth" and "Happiness" director Ahn Gil Ho and penned by the renowned screenwriter Kim Eun Seok was exclusively released under Netflix.
'The Glory' Enters Netflix Top 10 TV Shows Worldwide
Immediately after the revenge drama made its debut, "The Glory" enters Netflix's Top 10 tv shows and recently made it among the most-watched show in the U.S.
As cited by Flix Patrol, the eight-part episode K-drama gained popularity in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Interestingly, "The Glory" ranked sixth place in Netflix's top 10 TV shows in the United States.
However, according to a local media outlet, the Song Hye Kyo-led K-drama is also gaining popularity in China despite the streaming giant has not released the series in the said country.
With this, it is assumed that "The Glory" and other Korean dramas are illegally distributed in China.
Netflix is 'Stepping Up' to Fight Illegal Distribution
Amid the continues illegal distribution of K-dramas in Chine, Netflix, the official distributor of "The Glory" is "stepping up" to alleviate this kind of illegal activity.
The global OTT platform is "working hard on monitoring and distribution of illegal content" however, there are also limitations to this because of the "closed operation policy of the Chinese authorities.
In the same report, Korean public relations expert Seo Kyung Deok and Sungshin Women's University professor says that even before Song Hye Kyo's drama was released, several Netflix original series experienced the same fate.
In includes the smash hit K-dramas "The Squid Game," "Hellbound" starring Yoo Ah In and Park Eun Bin's "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," citing that "most of the Korean dramas that made the top rankings were illegally distributed in China."
READ MORE: 'Reborn Rich' Cast Update: Will Song Joong Ki Return With Season 2?
Recently, Song Joong Ki and Lee Sung Min's hit series "Reborn Rich" was also illegally uploaded on the Chinese platform IQIYI.
With this, the production company SLL tells TV Report that they will take action against unlawfully sharing of the 16-part episode series and has "agreed to take prompt action against the illegal video" that was uploaded.
"Reborn Rich's" production company also encouraged viewers not to patronize it by emphasizing that the circulating video is not the whole series "but an illegal video edited and uploaded by an individual."
To recall, it has been years since the country banned the inflow of Korean content and games at the height of the "Hallyu Wave."
However, in an article cited by a media outlet, the streaming platform iQiyi released "Something in the Rain" headlined by Son Ye Jin and Jung Hae In, being the "first Korean TV series to obtain approval from Beijing's broadcast regulator" after five years.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Is 'The Glory's' Bullying Scene Real? True to Life Case Gains Attention Amid Drama's Popularity
KDramastars owns this article
Written by Geca Wills
