It has been revealed that China recently designated Korean-Chinese traditional cultures, such as Arirang and pansori, as national-level intangible cultural heritage in its three northeastern provinces, sparking controversy.

On the 15th, Professor Seo Kyoung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University stated through his social media account, "Netizens living in China provided the tips," adding, "Upon verification, we detected a move to register the ruins of Balhae—which is our history—as Chinese heritage on the UNESCO World Heritage list."

Visiting the website of the Jilin provincial government, one of the three northeastern provinces, reveals an introduction stating, "We are pushing to apply for the registration of the Balhae city wall sites and tombs as world cultural heritage." Concrete plans have already been established, and government-affiliated organizations are currently in charge of the project.

In particular, a short-form drama dealing with Balhae history is scheduled to air at the end of October.

According to multiple Chinese media outlets including Yangguangwang, the Yanbian Museum in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province, hosted an event to kick off the filming of "Balhae Da Heumu," produced by the Yanbian Radio and Television Broadcasting Station. Produced using a mix of actual filming and artificial intelligence (AI) synthesis, the 20-episode short-form drama will be approximately 100 minutes in total length.

Production is set to wrap up by the end of this month, and the drama will be released through major video platforms such Tencent Video, Youku, and iQiyi, as well as broadcast via TV channels.

Professor Seo criticized, "It appears that China is using the drama to promote distorted history of Balhae to its citizens and build public opinion for its World Heritage listing."

He further stated, "We plan to launch a 'Global Balhae Campaign' to properly inform people around the world about what is wrong with these actions."

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