Chinese spin-off of Reply 1988 faces plagiarism issue: tvN issues statement

tvN has issued a statement expressing their disappointment over the issued.

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Park Bo Gum
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The Chinese spin-off of tvN's hit drama Reply 1988 has been facing plagiarism charges ever since its launch. The local Chinese media has recently reported that the drama will be the Chinese version of the hit series and will revolve around the lives of a group of teenagers. From the plot, it looks like a spin-off.

Now, tvN has issued a statement expressing their disappointment over the issue. They have also clarified that they haven't sold the copyrights of the drama to any production house in China.

"We never sold the rights for 'Reply 1988' to the Chinese broadcasting station producing the show. We find the similarities to be unfortunate," the statement from tvN reads (as translated by Soompi).

K-drama fans have expressed their disappointed over the issue and has also condemned the act.

Reply 1988 was a hit Korean drama with Lee Hye-ri, Park Bo-gum, Go Kyung-pyo, Ryu Jun-yeol and Lee Dong-hwi playing the lead. It was the third instalment of tvN's Reply series and received both critical and audience acclaim with its finale episode receiving a record 18.8 percent. Set in 1988, it revolves around five friends and their families living in the same neighbourhood of Ssangmun-dong, Dobong District, Northern Seoul.

This article was first published on August 1, 2017