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Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Major South Korean Theater Abruptly Cancels Human Rights Film Festival Bookings
On the eve of the 5th Seoul Larkspur International Film Festival ( The abrupt decision came from MEGABOX Dongdaemun, the official screening venue of SLIFF, one day before the festival's opening on May 30, affecting multiple films documenting the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) human rights abuses. Organizers said they were shocked, and filmmakers said they were outraged. 'This is the first time I've seen something like this happen in Korea,' said Heo Eun-doh, SLIFF's general director and chief curator. 'A theater unilaterally canceling international human rights films—there's no question this was due to external pressure.' MEGABOX is one of Korea's largest theater chains, with more than 100 locations nationwide. According to the SLIFF organizers, they had provided all the materials to the Dongdaemun branch, had signed a contract, and had paid the full rental fee upon the approval that had been stamped by MEGABOX headquarters. Heo told The Epoch Times that his team had been monitoring ticket sales and had found that everything suddenly vanished. 'When we called, they told us, 'We don't support festivals with political nature,'' he said. Related Stories 5/30/2025 5/30/2025 Ticket sales for the festival began just the night before, on May 28, and some showings—including the May 31 screening of ' 'State Organs,' a 76-minute documentary produced by Peabody Award-winner Raymond Zhang, follows the perilous search of two families for their missing loved ones in China, according to the film's synopsis, revealing evidence of state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting, a practice unique to China that involves the killing of the organ donor. Zhang spent Zhang refuted the political allegations by the Megabox theater. 'This is not a political film—it addresses universal values such as humanity and human rights,' he said. 'I believe the sudden cancellation in Korea was driven by interference from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). When the film was screened in Taiwan, I received over a hundred threatening emails and messages and was targeted by pro-CCP cyberattacks. I didn't expect similar tactics to appear in South Korea.' Threats of mass shootings, bomb detonations, and systematic hacking were Other films affected by the last-minute cancellation include ' Despite the setback, Zhang emphasized his belief in South Korean society. 'I still believe Korea is a free and democratic country, and its citizens won't be swayed by this kind of pressure,' he said. 'Violation of Artistic and Expressive Freedom' SLIFF is the only film festival in South Korea dedicated to global human rights issues, according to Heo. He said that he and his team had spent a whole year preparing for the film festival, and described the last-minute cancellation as a devastating blow to the festival and a serious violation of free expression, attributing the cancellation to outside political pressure. 'This was not an internal decision. This was a forced shutdown—clearly influenced by external forces. It's a serious violation of artistic and expressive freedom,' Heo said. He said that what is happening now in South Korea is similar to what happened in Hong Kong in 2019, as depicted in 'Revolution of Our Times.' He said this documentary on Hong Kong's democracy movement serves as an example of why these films matter. 'No one has the right to strip away artistic or expressive freedom. And I believe the Korean public understands that. Think about it—a theater unilaterally labeling international human rights films as 'political' and pulling them while tickets are still on sale? There's no way this came from Koreans themselves,' he said. Heo pledged to keep fighting. 'We will not be silenced. We will not back down. We will stand firm, and in the end, we believe justice will prevail,' he said. 'If we remain silent in the face of this kind of censorship, we're not just giving up on art—we're giving up on democracy itself. This cannot be brushed aside. We will make sure the truth is known throughout South Korea and call on people to stand with us. That is our unwavering position.' The film festival organizers have managed to screen 'State Organs' for one listing in KBS Hall, Seoul, on May 30. The documentary has screened in the United States, Japan, and Taiwan, and is The Epoch Times reached out to the Megabox Dongdaemun branch, but the call was not answered. An Jing contributed to this report.
Epoch Times
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Epoch Times
US Seeks Extradition of 2 Suspects Arrested in Serbia Over Scheme Targeting Los Angeles Artist
Two foreign nationals were arrested on April 24 in Serbia at the request of the U.S. government for allegedly hiring people to harass, intimidate, and threaten a Los Angeles resident who had publicly criticized Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping. Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom, were According to a criminal Prosecutors said Cui and Miller started their plot targeting the Los Angeles resident in October 2023, when they allegedly enlisted two individuals in the United States to prevent him from traveling to San Francisco to protest against Xi's visit for the 2023 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Cui and Miller were unaware that the two individuals were an undercover FBI agent and a 'confidential human source working for the FBI,' according to the court document. Prosecutors did not name the L.A. resident and identified the person only as 'the victim' in the court document. Related Stories 4/26/2025 4/25/2025 'The victim had made multiple statements expressing opposition to the policies and actions' of the Chinese regime and Xi on his social media, the court document states. The victim's social media posts included pictures of his artistic statues depicting Xi and his wife 'kneeling and with their hands tied behind their backs.' In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, the two defendants allegedly had the two individuals surveil the victim, install a tracking device on his car, slash the car's tires, and purchase and destroy his statues. According to the court document, Miller instructed the undercover FBI agent to go to a Los Angeles residential address for a payment of $5,000 after the agent provided pictures of the statues being destroyed. Xi's 2023 trip to San Francisco was marred by street violence, as pro-CCP supporters Miller allegedly traveled to China in June 2023, where he met with Chinese officials in Beijing and northern China's Liaoning Province, as well as Cui's bosses in Beijing, the court document states. Additionally, Miller claimed that he 'had been promoted' following his meetings with Chinese officials in China. Prosecutors stated that they believed Miller was aware that he was 'acting at the direction and control' of the Chinese regime when he referred to Xi as 'the boss' in his communications with others. There was a similar scheme in the spring of 2025, prosecutors said, after the victim announced his plan to release a video online showing two new artistic statues of Xi and his wife. Cui and Miller allegedly paid two other people, who were 'affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI,' approximately $36,500 in an attempt to convince the victim not to go ahead with his plan. Miller also allegedly tasked the FBI's confidential human source with staging protests in the United States, including a protest in the Los Angeles area against the visit of Taiwan's president on April 5, 2023, according to the court document. The FBI's confidential human source then enlisted 'a third-party individual to execute [Miller's] tasking,' the court document states, who then 'hired actors to pose as protesters.' A videographer recorded the protest and uploaded it to an online storage platform that was shared by Cui and Miller's email addresses. The two defendants each face a maximum prison sentence of five years for conspiracy and five years for interstate stalking. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California said the U.S. government will seek the extradition of Cui and Miller.
The Guardian
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Taiwan cracks down on holders of Chinese ID amid fears over propaganda and espionage
Taiwan has launched a crackdown on holders of illegal Chinese identity documents, revoking the Taiwanese status of more than 20 people and putting tens of thousands of Chinese-born residents under scrutiny. Under Taiwan law it is illegal for Taiwanese people to hold Chinese identity documents. In the past decade, hundreds of people have had their Taiwanese papers or passports cancelled for also holding Chinese ID, effectively revoking their citizenship. But a renewed hunt for dual ID-holders has drawn controversy after the public expulsion of three women and threats to the permanent residencies of more than 10,000 Chinese-born people, including many who had built lives and families in Taiwan over decades. The campaign has sparked a nationwide debate about identity, loyalty and how to balance the island's treasured political freedoms with its national security. The current furore began in December, with an online documentary revealing local Chinese authorities were secretly offering Chinese IDs to Taiwanese people. Taiwan's mainland affairs council (MAC) denounced the scheme as 'part of China's evil united front work that attempts to … create an illusion that it has authority over the nation'. The documentary identified three recipients who had moved to the Chinese province of Fujian and applied for Chinese identity cards. Su Shih-er was one of the three. He chose the coastal province for its large Taiwanese community and generous government subsidies for entrepreneurs opening 'local' businesses. Soon after arriving, Su learned he could apply for a Chinese identity card. 'I thought it'd be more convenient for my company, so I applied,' he told the Guardian. What Su did was illegal under Taiwanese law, although he disputes this. To get his Chinese ID card, Su was legally required to have Chinese household registration (known as 'hukou'), which is barred under Taiwan's cross-strait relations act, alongside Chinese passports. Su, who is still in China, said there are 'loads' of Taiwanese with Fujian IDs, and that he felt 'like a victim of their political games'. Tensions between Taiwan and China are dangerously high. China's Communist party (CCP) government claims Taiwan as a province and is preparing to take it militarily if it can't convince or coerce it to peacefully 'unify'. Espionage and infiltration by pro-CCP actors – including from Taiwan's society, government, and military – are real and ongoing dangers. But there are still close ties between the two territories. Figures from 2022 show about 170,000 Taiwanese living in China. About 380,000 Chinese-born people live in Taiwan, many married to Taiwanese people, and about half of them hold permanent residency. In March Taiwan's president, Lai Ching-te, announced new measures to counter China's malign efforts, which included increased scrutiny of cross-strait travel and resettlement. In March, three Chinese-born women were accused of using their popular social media accounts to advocate for a hostile Chinese takeover of Taiwan. Taiwan revoked their residency visas and they were forced to leave Taiwan, as well as their Taiwanese husbands and children. The opposition accused the government of deporting people without due process for views it didn't like. A statement signed by dozens of local academics said President Lai was 'rapidly compressing the space for free speech'. But government figures said the posts were essentially enemy war propaganda, exempt from free-speech protection. Premier Cho Jung-tai told reporters: 'There are limits to freedom of speech, and the limits are the country's survival.' The deportations also seemed to have social support, and at a press conference held by one of the women, a crowd chanted 'go home!'. The case highlighted 'the unique dilemma of Taiwan's existence', wrote two local academics, Michelle Kuo and Albert Wu. 'Imagine a world where an ally of China expels a Taiwanese immigrant for advocating Taiwanese independence. We would fight to the death for that person to stay in the country,' said Wu and Kuo. But, they added: 'Taiwan is under exceptional threat. Can we apply human rights principles around family unity and freedom of speech when facing such a massive danger?' The Taiwan government's next move proved even more controversial. As it became clear the number of people holding or seeking Chinese IDs was larger than anticipated, authorities decided to sweep the island. 'If the identities of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are not clearly distinguished, it will affect the national security and social stability of our country,' it said. In March the MAC sent questionnaires to public sector workers, university employees and military personnel, asking them if they ever held Chinese ID. The MAC described the survey as an opportunity to 'demonstrate their loyalty'. Then, earlier this month, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) began contacting more than 10,000 Chinese-born spouses in Taiwan, claiming they had never provided proof they had given up their Chinese hukuo – a requirement for permanent residency. Social media filled with angry posts from affected people and their families, saying they felt targeted and suddenly unwelcome. Among them were people who had moved to Taiwan decades ago, before such proof was required. Rescinding hukou can only be done in person, in China. Some commenters pointed to the case of Li Yanhe, a Chinese-born, Taiwan-based publisher of critical books about the CCP. In 2023 Li was arrested in Shanghai, reportedly there to rescind his hukou. Convicted of unspecified acts of 'inciting secession', he remains in a Chinese jail. One woman posted to Threads a recording of a call between her mother and the NIA. Her mother told the NIA agent she had given proof to another agency when she arrived 22 years ago. But the agent said they had no record, and threatened to strip her Taiwanese rights and residency if she failed to cooperate. 'My mother has become an international football,' her daughter posted. In another case, a woman said her mother – who had lived her for 33 years – had also received a demand for proof. 'My mother has a Taiwanese ID card, a Taiwanese passport and has paid labour insurance and health insurance and taxes for more than 30 years. She is a Taiwanese!' the woman said. The MAC deputy head, Liang Wen-chieh, said last week they were demonstrating 'utmost leniency towards such individuals'. But amid an outcry the government announced case-by-case exemptions, including for people who are elderly, haven't returned to China in more than 10 years, or feared persecution if they did. The new campaign has so far resulted in at least 19 people being stripped of Taiwanese papers – and citizenship if they held it – for having Chinese ID. The NIA, told the Guardian those who cancelled their Chinese hukou could apply for permission to 'restore their [Taiwan] status' and come back. But critics worry that the crackdown is only further dividing Taiwan's already fractious society. 'It is obvious that a negative impact is to tear Taiwan apart and push people to the opposite side, which is of no benefit to Taiwan's security,' said Prof Liu Mei-jun, of Taiwan's national Chengchi university. During the furore over the deported influencers, academics Kuo and Wu warned that the government 'may have inadvertently handed Beijing an easy propaganda victory'. China's state media has already seized on the cases, accusing Taiwan's ruling DPP of 'tearing families apart'. The Taiwan Affairs Office accused the DPP of bullying, and only applying the idea of 'freedom' to those who supported Taiwan independence. The Guardian's conversations with people in or close to the government have revealed a perplexity over the backlash, and a belief that any concerns are outweighed by the need to address any vulnerability China could exploit. 'More than 360,000 Chinese spouses live in Taiwan today,' Kuo and Wu wrote in their essay. 'While they may appear to be a demographic minority, their family networks make up a significant portion of society – one the government now risks alienating.'
The Guardian
13-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK could target parts of Chinese state under new foreign influence rules
The government could target parts of China's security apparatus under new foreign influence rules, the Guardian has learned. Ministers are considering including parts of the Chinese state accused of interference activities on the enhanced tier of the foreign influence registration scheme (Firs). China as a whole is not expected to be included on the enhanced tier, according to several people briefed on the discussions, but government sources stressed that no final decision about its status had been taken. Firs, which will launch on 1 July, will require anyone in the UK acting for a foreign power or entity to declare their activities to the government. The scheme will operate on two tiers. The enhanced tier will cover countries and entities deemed a particular risk, which will require extra disclosures. Ministers have announced that Iran and Russia will be on the enhanced tier, meaning anyone directed by those two countries to carry out activities in the UK will have to declare it or face five years in prison. The government has yet to say anything about China's place in Firs, a matter which is subject to internal debate by ministers and officials weighing up security concerns against the economic benefits of closer ties with Beijing. Financial services companies have privately argued against including China on the enhanced tier on the basis that they would have to fill out burdensome paperwork to justify business meetings. In an effort to strengthen security without compromising economic ties, ministers are considering including specific parts of the Chinese political system that have been accused of interference in the west on the enhanced tier. Entities under consideration include Beijing's Ministry of State Security, which is its intelligence service, the United Front Work Department, often referred to as the international arm of the Chinese Communist party (CCP), and the People's Liberation Army, China's military. The government could also target the CCP as a whole. A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on security matters.' MI5's director general, Ken McCallum, said in a 2022 speech that 'the Chinese intelligence services, or bodies within the CCP itself – such as its United Front Work Department (UFWD) – are mounting patient, well-funded, deceptive campaigns to buy and exert influence' in the UK. McCallum said the UFWD aimed 'to amplify pro-CCP voices, and silence those that question the CCP's legitimacy or authority'. He said its activities had 'very real consequences in communities here in the UK' and that 'it needs to be challenged'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Conservative MPs have called for China to be included in the enhanced tier. The shadow security minister, Tom Tugendhat, told the Commons last year that 'the advice from MI5 was very, very clear. If China isn't in the enhanced tier, it's not worth having.' There are long-running tensions over the issue between the Home Office and the Treasury, which is relaying concerns about the potential burden on businesses. Labour has pursued a rapprochement with Beijing since taking office. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, have made trips to China in an effort to maintain positive economic relations despite security concerns. Douglas Alexander, a trade minister, became the latest government figure to visit China last week for talks amid the intensifying trade dispute between Beijing and Washington. China is the UK's fifth-largest trading partner. The government is also carrying out a cross-Whitehall audit of the UK-China relationship, which was a Labour manifesto pledge.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
TikTok's algorithm shows bias in political content, CCP-related coverage, studies find
[Source] Recent research reveals that TikTok's recommendation algorithm exhibits significant biases in both its distribution of U.S. political content and its handling of Chinese government-related topics, raising fresh concerns about the platform's influence on public opinion and electoral discourse. A preprint study by researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi found that TikTok's algorithm favored Republican-aligned content during the 2024 U.S. presidential election period. The research, which analyzed approximately 394,000 videos across three politically diverse states between April 30 and Nov. 11, 2024, discovered that GOP-seeded accounts received 11.8% more party-aligned recommendations compared to Democratic-seeded accounts. The study revealed several key patterns: Democratic-leaning accounts were exposed to roughly 7.5% more opposite-party content than their Republican counterparts Negative partisanship content was particularly prevalent, with videos criticizing opposing parties being 1.78 times more likely to be recommended Donald Trump's official TikTok channel reached Democratic-conditioned accounts 26.9% of the time, while Kamala Harris' videos were recommended to Republican-conditioned accounts only 15.3% of the time A separate study published in Frontiers in Social Psychology investigated TikTok's handling of content related to the Chinese government and found systematic differences in how the platform presents that content compared to other social media platforms. Trending on NextShark: The paper, a collaboration between researchers at Rutgers University and the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), revealed that TikTok searches yielded significantly less content critical of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) compared to Instagram and YouTube. For example, only 2.5% of search results for 'Uyghur' on TikTok were coded as anti-CCP, compared to 50% on Instagram and 54% on YouTube. The study also found a striking disconnect between user engagement and content distribution on TikTok: Users engaged with anti-CCP content nearly four times more than with pro-CCP content. Despite this engagement pattern, TikTok's algorithm produced nearly three times as much pro-CCP content. Higher TikTok usage correlated with more favorable views of China's human rights record. Both studies highlight concerns about TikTok's potential influence on public opinion and democratic discourse. The platform, which boasts over 170 million users in the U.S. alone, has become a significant source of news, particularly among younger demographics. Trending on NextShark: The findings suggest that TikTok's algorithm may be shaped by factors beyond typical commercial considerations. While the studies cannot definitively prove intentional manipulation, they reveal patterns that differ significantly from other major social media platforms. The NYU Abu Dhabi researchers outline several key directions for future research: conducting longitudinal studies beyond election periods, combining automated experiments with real user data, analyzing visual content alongside transcripts and investigating misinformation spread specifically related to the 2024 elections. They also emphasize the importance of comparative studies across different social media platforms to better understand TikTok-specific effects. Meanwhile, the Rutgers and NCRI researchers emphasize an urgent need for greater transparency in social media algorithms and call for developing robust methods to detect algorithmic manipulation. They argue that future research should prioritize ways to identify when platforms suppress information and undermine free expression, particularly in the context of authoritarian influence on democratic values. Trending on NextShark: This story is part of The Rebel Yellow Newsletter — a bold weekly newsletter from the creators of NextShark, reclaiming our stories and celebrating Asian American voices. Subscribe free to join the movement. If you love what we're building, consider becoming a paid member — your support helps us grow our team, investigate impactful stories, and uplift our community. Subscribe here now! Trending on NextShark: Trending on NextShark: Download the NextShark App: Want to keep up to date on Asian American News? Download the NextShark App today!
