"Arirang and Balhae Are All China's"... The 'Quiet Invasion' Swallowing History One by One

It has been reported that China is pushing to list Balhae's fortress sites and ancient tombs as UNESCO World Heritage sites.

With a drama based on Balhae history set to be released later this month, controversy surrounding China's interpretation of Balhae history is flaring up once again.

Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women's University stated on his social media today (the 15th) that he confirmed the information after receiving tips from netizens residing in China.

According to Professor Seo, the official website of the Jilin provincial government, one of China's three northeastern provinces, posted a notice stating that it is "pursuing the application for World Cultural Heritage listing of the Balhae state fortress sites and ancient tombs."

Specific plans for the listing have reportedly been drawn up, and government-affiliated organizations are in charge of the related projects.

Balhae was a kingdom that existed in the northern Korean Peninsula and parts of Manchuria from its founding by Dae Joyeong in 698 until its fall in 926.

While Korean history treats Balhae as a successor state to Goguryeo, China claims that Balhae was a local regional regime under the Tang Dynasty.

Meanwhile, a drama dealing with Balhae history is also being produced in China.

According to Chinese media outlets such as CNR, an event was recently held at the Yanbian Museum in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, to announce the start of filming for the short-form drama "Balhae Dae Heum-mu."

Dae Heum-mu is the personal name of King Mun, the third monarch of Balhae.

The drama is produced using a combination of actual filming and AI synthesis technology, consisting of 20 episodes with a total running time of about 100 minutes.

Production is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month, after which it will be released through major Chinese video platforms and TV channels.

Professor Seo criticized that China appears to be using the drama to promote distorted Balhae history to its citizens and rally public opinion ahead of its World Heritage bid.

He added that he plans to launch a "Global Balhae Campaign" to inform the world about China's historical distortions.

Previously, China designated cultural practices such as Arirang and Pansori as national-level intangible cultural heritage under the pretext of them being the traditional culture of ethnic Koreans in China.

Reported by Kim Minjeong | Video by Lee Eui-sun | Graphics by Lee Soo-min | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.