Minister to seek ways to get China's tacit ban on Korean content lifted at Beijing Olympics

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Hwang Hee said he will seek ways to persuade China to lift its tacit ban on South Korean content as he is set to lead the Korean government delegation at the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics.

China imposed the tacit ban on Korean content in protest of South Korea's decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system, known as THAAD, in 2016. Since then, Korean TV series, shows and movies have been absent from China's TV networks, formal video streaming platforms and cinemas.

Hwang told Yonhap News Agency in an interview that he will seek to resolve the issue related to China's retaliatory measures against Korean content "through various exchange channels" during his visit to Beijing.

Hwang said he will meet with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach, as well as Chinese sports and culture officials.

The Beijing Olympics comes as the highly contagious omicron variant is raging across the globe.

Hwang said he will make the utmost efforts to ensure the safety of Korean athletes during the Feb. 4-20 competition.

In Beijing, Hwang will attend the opening ceremony on Feb. 4, and support and encourage South Korean athletes while watching their events.

For the opening ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics in the South Korean alpine town of PyeongChang, China sent a deputy prime minister-level official.

South Korea will not join the United States and a few other nations in staging a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics to protest Chinese human rights abuses.

With regard to the decision to send the government delegation to the Beijing Olympics, Hwang said there was a diplomatic discussion to take into consideration China's sending of a deputy prime minister-level official to the PyeongChang Olympics, Hwang said.
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