NewJeans caught in cultural appropriation brouhaha over hanji

NewJeans has received online criticism from Chinese viewers for a video of the girl group taking part in a demonstration of hanji, Korean traditional mulberry paper. The Korea Craft and Design Foundation, a state-run institution, released ...

A picture of girl group NewJeans making hanji with hanji-maker Ahn Chi-yong for a promotional video made by the Korea Craft and Design Foundation [CHOI YEONG-JAE]

NewJeans has received online criticism from Chinese viewers for a video of the girl group taking part in a demonstration of hanji, Korean traditional mulberry paper.

The Korea Craft and Design Foundation, a state-run institution, released a YouTube video Friday featuring the five-member girl group learning to make hanji with hanji-maker Ahn Chi-yong. It was made to promote the Korean tradition to global K-pop fans.

Following the video’s release, Chinese online users have been leaving comments on NewJeans social media accounts arguing that the paper originates in China.

“Papermaking is Chinese,” “Do you not know that you are stealing the culture of others?” and “Chinese papermaking is older than Koryo, Korea, stop stealing Chinese civilization,” read some Instagram posts.

Other comments defending the girl group were also posted, reading “NewJeans didn’t say that the original of paper was Korea, but it just promoted one of its types.”

A captured image of Chinese comments posted on NewJeans' official Instagram account [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The exact origin of hanji has not been recorded in Korea but it is said to have over 1,000 years of history and to have originated in China.

“There is no clear historical record of the initial Hanji production in Korea, but the paper discovered from Bangmatan ancient tomb in China that made in the second century B.C., and suppose the paper production technology was transferred around this time,” reads an English website of the Hanji Industry Support Center.

A similar brouhaha broke out in October when singer Jang Won-young of girl group IVE introduced her binyeo phoenix-styled traditional hairpin in a video uploaded by Vogue Korea on Oct. 16, while attending the Paris Fashion Week.

A Chinese influencer who has about 480,000 followers criticized Jang online saying that “since the ancient times, dragons and phoenixes have been unique symbols of the Chinese people. Although Koreans used binyeo from a long time ago, Koreans can’t claim that the phoenix binyeo is theirs.”

“Korea should apologize for continuing to steal Chinese culture,” another said.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]