"In my view, Korea has relatively more appealing and talented actors. Also the Korean production industry's tight screenplays and films seem to have attracted demand from Chinese viewers," said a South Korean producer who is currently working for a Chinese satellite TV network.

Han Jae-hyuk, head of the Korean Cultural Center in China, pointed out how the term hallyu was first coined in China.

"Hallyu first emerged from China after H.O.T was showcased in the country in 2000. After establishing diplomatic relations, the two sides have had a wide range of exchanges, to the degree that there is almost no Chinese person who hasn't watched a Korean drama," said Han.

But for the past year or so it's become impossible to see Korean TV shows in China. China virtually banned South Korean cultural and entertainment products in protest of Seoul's decision to set up a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery on its soil.

Seoul says it is to better protect itself from the ever-rising military threats posed by North Korea, but Beijing believes the THAAD system can be used to monitor its own military activities, thereby hampering regional peace and stability.

Partnerships and joint projects in areas such as TV shows, games and music between the two countries were abruptly suspended, seriously hurting South Korean companies that had made hefty financial commitments. 

SBS TV's "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors," for example, was intended to be aired in South Korea and China simultaneously, but Beijing's broadcast regulator is still sitting on its approval. TV footage of Korean stars was edited out, and scheduled concerts and fan meet-and-greets for K-pop stars, such as EXO and BIGBANG, were banned without explanation.

But the ban doesn't necessarily mean the Chinese aren't consuming Korean products. Piracy over the Internet has allowed unfettered access to even the most up-to-date Korean TV shows. News stories on "Legend of the Blue Sea" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God" have racked up billions of views on Chinese portals, suggesting that Korean shows are being widely pirated.

In the past, most of the Chinese networks had paid for licenses to adopt South Korean programs, but intellectual property theft is becoming more common after the culture ban, with copycat shows of "Three Meals a Day," "Fantastic Duo" and Youn's Kitchen" having been introduced.

On the music record front, K-pop is still going strong.

G-Dragon of boy band BIGBANG sold 762,000 copies of his latest solo album "Kwon Ji Yong" in June on release day alone, while groups EXO and EXID are also among the top-tier artists on major music streaming charts.

Experts say that in order to better appease China in general, creators must prioritize the quality of their content.

"Most of the time, China tends to be engaged with the U.S. and Japan in geopolitical issues. But it's not as if, for example, American and Japanese animation movies perform poorly because of pending issues," said Kim Ki-heon, head of Korea Creative Content Agency's Beijing office.

Others say that Korea should also focus on exporting its skills and technology in culture, alongside selling packaged cultural products to China.

"Rather than stressing that this or that is a 'Korean' movie, more companies should try to apply their ideas and technology within the Chinese market and try to increase their clout in China," said Kim Pil-jeong, head of the Korean Film Council's Beijing office. (Yonhap)