Netflix has announced that it has protested against China for plagiarizing 'Black and White Chef'.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, a media event for 'Netflix Entertainment Festival 2025' was held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Dongdaemun, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Attendees included Netflix Director Yoo Gi-hwan and producers Hwang Seul-woo, Jang Ho-ki, Kim Ye-seul, Kim Hak-min, Kim Jae-won, Jeong Jong-yeon, Lee So-min, and Kim No-eun.
Kim Hak-min, the producer of Netflix's entertainment show 'Black and White Chef', commented on the plagiarism of the program in China, saying, "There are scenes that are impossible not to recognize, and the set is needless to say," adding, "I think the opening sequence was made almost cut by cut exactly like our show."
The Chinese OTT platform Tencent Video recently released the entertainment show '一饭封神 (Yi Fan Feng Shen, Becoming a God with One Meal)'. The concept features 16 famous chefs and 84 rookie chefs competing in a cooking contest, and the format, including the way they randomly open restaurants and the judging process, seems to have been copied exactly, leading to plagiarism controversy.
Producer Kim expressed, "Rather than being angry, I was surprised. The scenes that our producers painstakingly created were replicated exactly, including the composition and BGM. It was unfortunate."
Director Yoo Gi-hwan stated, "After recognizing the situation, we entered into in-depth discussions. Beyond the similarity of the works, it is evident that it was used intentionally. Netflix values the effort put into its works and IP. We have strongly requested Tencent to halt the broadcast." He emphasized, "We will not tolerate or condone this in the future and will respond officially while monitoring the situation."
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
