China is pushing to have relics of the Balhae kingdom inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, according to findings made public on the 15th. Beijing is also producing a television drama based on Balhae history, fueling a widening dispute over historical distortion.
Seo Kyoung-duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, said on social media that "internet users living in China provided the tip." He added, "After checking, we detected a move to register Balhae relics, which are part of our history, on the UNESCO World Heritage List as Chinese heritage."
Push for World Heritage Listing Confirmed in Jilin Province Plan
The official website of the government of Jilin province, one of China's three northeastern provinces, states that it is pursuing an application to list the fortress sites and tomb clusters of the Balhae kingdom as World Cultural Heritage.
Jilin has already drawn up detailed plans for the project and is proceeding with the listing work through agencies under the provincial government, according to the findings.
China has previously designated traditional culture associated with ethnic Koreans in the three northeastern provinces, including Arirang and pansori, as national-level intangible cultural heritage. With the push to list Balhae relics as World Heritage, the controversy surrounding history and cultural heritage is flaring up again.
20-Part Drama on Balhae History in Production, Due Late This Month
China also plans to release video content based on Balhae history. According to Chinese media outlets including Yangguang.com, an event marking the start of filming for the short-form drama "Balhae Dae Heum-mu" was recently held at the Yanbian Museum in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin province.
The production, made by the Yanbian Radio and Television Station, combines live-action footage with artificial intelligence synthesis technology.
The drama will run about 100 minutes in total and consist of 20 episodes. Production is set to wrap up by the end of this month, after which it will be released on major Chinese video platforms including Tencent Video, Youku and iQiyi. It is also expected to air on television channels.
Chinese authorities are presenting Balhae history as linked to China's regional culture. Chinese media outlets reporting on the drama's production described Balhae history within a Chinese historical and cultural context.
Seo Says China Is Building Public Opinion With Distorted History, Plans Global Campaign
Seo expressed concern that China's push for the heritage listing and the drama production could lead to historical distortion.
"China appears to be using the drama to present a distorted version of Balhae history to its own people in order to build public opinion for the World Cultural Heritage listing," he said.
He added, "We plan to carry out a 'Global Balhae Campaign' to correctly inform people around the world about what is wrong with these actions."