'Goblin' Fever Hits China, Gong Yoo Most Searched Korean Actor Despite Content Ban

by Mia Lorenzo / Feb 16, 2017 08:17 AM EST

Gong Yoo and Lee Dong Wook's new drama Goblin air its first episode last night.

China is currently on a Hallyu ban but this did not prevent "Goblin" and its lead actor Gong Yoo from hitting the country. The ban that resulted from Korea and the United State's decision to deploy THAAD battery prompted China to put an unofficial ban on shows from Korea.

China's decision to issue the ban led to losses. Song Joong Ki who dubbed a TV advertisement airing in the country had his voice removed. The Chinese drama "Love Through a Millenium 2" also removed Yoo In Na.

While the country could control these things, it proved to be more difficult to regulate pirated dramas and other unofficial sources with Chinese subtitles. In fact, tvN's "Goblin" gained widespread popularity in the country. "Goblin" also known as "Guardian" aired in Korea Dec. 2 to Jan. 21 and despite the ban, copies have been circulating all over the web."Goblin" is not the only drama making rounds in the country since Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun's "Legend of the Blue Sea" also became quite popular in the country.

The figures in Weibo attests that the ban did not affect the enthusiasm of Chinese fans who love Korean dramas. Based on Weibo's statistics, there are about 420 million posts about Gong Yoo. "Goblin's" main actor also became the most searched personality in Baidu. The data from QQ Music also reveals that the original soundtrack for the series already reached 8.8 million downloads. Aside from that, a newspaper in Taiwan noted that "Goblin" became the most popular drama during the Chinese New Year. China Contents Lab Head Kim Hyun Kyung had something to say about this issue.

"There's a need to probe various channels, and not simply rely on the existing mainstream channels," Aside from that, a newspaper in Taiwan noted that "Goblin" became the most popular drama during the Chinese New Year. China Contents Lab Head Kim Hyun Kyung had something to say about this issue. With these things in mind, it is not surprising why Gong Yoo and "Goblin" are popular in China.