Chinese drama Delicacies Destiny is currently being accused of plagiarizing the Korean hit series, Jewel in the Palace. Amid the alleged claims, China has come under fire for the way it countered them. Global Times reported on July 7th, “Chinese historical web drama Delicacies Destiny �has stirred controversy over ‘plagiarizing’ South Korean culture among South Korean netizens.”
Delicacies Destiny follows an ordinary young woman with exceptional culinary abilities who accidentally entered the imperial palace. The controversy sparked as the Chinese and Korean shows are remarkably similar in that the female protagonist later earns recognition for her excellent cooking skills and ends up falling in love with the prince. Furthermore, many Korean fans pointed out that Chinese cast members were seen wearing Korean traditional clothing and wrapping pork belly in lettuces.
The Chinese media outlet stated, “Chinese experts said that the cultural exchanges between China and South Korea started from ancient times and should be respected and seen with a more open attitude.”
The fact that this globally streamed drama is not available in South Korea alone adds fuel to the fire and seems to have confirmed the plagiarism accusations. On July 6th, Disney + said, “The content of the scenes showing pork belly wraps in the Chinese series were not provided by our platform.”
