China’s internet watchdog shuts down 13,600 mukbang accounts for promoting food waste

  • The Cyberspace Administration of China closed down the accounts the past month, following President Xi Jinping’s call to end the country’s food waste problem
  • It marked the first time online eating shows were highlighted by the agency in its campaign to rid China’s internet of illegal and lowbrow content

Mukbang, a Korean term that translates to “eating broadcasts”, initially gained popularity in South Korea in 2010. It is a genre that has also become popular in China, where there is a vast audience hooked on short video-sharing services and live-streaming programmes. Photo: Shutterstock

China’s internet watchdog has closed down 13,600 short video and live-streaming accounts, as the government doubles down on its campaign against food waste in popular online eating shows known as mukbang.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) said the accounts it shut down the past month were found to have breached the government’s policy against food waste, according to a notice posted by the agency on its WeChat account on Wednesday.

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