The World of Love: Opening a Door to China Frozen Since the Korean Wave Ban

Poster of ‘The World of Love’ (provided by Barunson E&A)

Since the imposition of the hallyu ban (限韓令) in 2016, the door to the Chinese market has been widely considered closed. Official screenings of Korean films in China became virtually impossible, and institutional channels such as intergovernmental agreements and co-production frameworks rarely functioned. Yet recently, director Yoon Ga-eun's film The World of Love has come knocking on that door. The Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) has officially invited the film to screen in its Panorama section on April 16.

The World of Love previously made a strong showing at the 9th Pingyao International Film Festival in 2025, taking home two awards: the Roberto Rossellini Jury Award and the People's Choice Award. Receiving both the jury prize and the audience award simultaneously signals that The World of Love is a film that unites artistic merit with broad appeal.

In the film, Lee Jooin (played by Seo Su-bin), an 18-year-old high school student, leads an ordinary and spirited life. Everything changes when her classmate Suho (played by Kim Jeong-sik) asks her to sign a petition opposing the move-in of a registered sex offender to their neighborhood. Jooin refuses to sign alone, objecting to the petition's language — "the victim lives in pain for the rest of their life" — a decision that escalates into open conflict with Suho. When she is compelled to reveal her own past in the principal's office, she is forced to confront the anger and regret she has suppressed for years. Beneath the bright surface of a coming-of-age film lies a deeply layered story of a young girl's unwavering dignity and self-determination.

The Beijing International Film Festival described the film as "a work that portrays the inner world of young girls with the sensitivity and feminine perspective characteristic of director Yoon Ga-eun," and one that depicts "the process of choosing to be the author of one's own world when society tries to define who they are."

The selection of The World of Love for the BJIFF has prompted assessments that it could open a pathway for future Korean films to enter the Chinese market — though variables remain. With the hallyu ban not yet officially lifted, political factors could still intervene before any actual theatrical release becomes possible. Yet what this film has demonstrated is clear: the door to China, long assumed to be shut, can be knocked upon through the power of content itself.

Sources

• Munhwa Ilbo, "The World of Love Officially Invited to Beijing International Film Festival", 2026.03.09

• Yonhap News Agency, "Yoon Ga-eun's The World of Love Selected for BJIFF — Hopes Rise for Chinese Release", 2026.03.09

• Arte, "A Story of One Girl Who Transformed Endless Anguish into Dignity: The World of Love", 2025.10.27