Super China sets TV record in S. Korea

A veteran South Korean broadcast journalist, who even as a student was interested in China, has produced a documentary titled Super China, which has set a viewing record in South Korea and has become popular with Chinese netizens.

The hit documentary was aired by the Korean Broadcasting System earlier this year and achieved a record high 10 percent audience rating. The average rating for a South Korean documentary is around 5 percent.

Super China presents different topics in seven episodes - China's demographics, economics, resources, geography, military, diplomacy and cultural soft power. It is the first comprehensive South Korean documentary about China made from the point of view of a South Korean broadcast journalist.

"Our initial aim of production was to provide a framework for deeper understanding of China and to eliminate misconceptions among South Korean citizens about China," said producer Park Jim-bum, adding that the high rating of the program shows that the South Korean people are eager to know more about China and its people.

Park, 46, worked as KBS correspondent in Beijing several years ago and covered big events such as the two sessions of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

His fluency in Mandarin has enabled him to develop close working relationships with his Chinese counterparts and top officials.

He remembers vividly the first time he was accredited and allowed access to the media gallery on the second floor of the Great Hall of the People in 2011. He said he could not forget the excitement and the sense of fulfillment that he felt on that day.

"During the sessions of the NPC and CPPCC, foreign journalists like me had the opportunity to witness the workings of the Chinese government and how their decisions affect the Chinese people. The reports from various ministries gave us valuable inputs that we reported to our respective audiences," Park said.

Park's love for China was influenced by his father who had a passionate interest in reading classical Chinese literature and writing Chinese calligraphy. Park said he first became interested in China as a teenager.

In the 1980s, when China and South Korea did not have diplomatic relations, Park chose to pursue a bachelor's degree in Chinese literature at Seoul National University.

After the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and South Korea in 1992, student and other exchanges between the two countries took place. Park felt the need to know more about China and went to Beijing in 2008 to pursue a master's degree in news and communications at Tsinghua University.

After completing his studies, he worked in Beijing as a KBS correspondent for four years. In addition to the annual sessions of the NPC and CPPCC in Beijing, Park also covered some events in the rural areas of Henan province and the earthquake in Yunnan province. He has visited nearly all China's provinces and districts.

"The role of media is quite important, especially television. Programs aired on TV can affect the views of citizens of one country toward another," Park said.

Many South Koreans see Super China as an "encyclopedia" on understanding China and think it is important for South Koreans to understand China because of its rise as not only a regional but also a global power.

The Chinese reaction has also been positive, viewing Super China as being more objective than documentaries made by Western media, which often have a built-in bias against China and its people.

Park plans to follow up on the success of Super China with another documentary focusing on how China's economy will affect South Korea in terms of manufacturing, telecommunications and other sectors.