Pororo Cartoon May Be Hit by U.S. Anti-N. Korea Ban

Pororo the Little Penguin may run afoul of U.S. sanctions against North Korea, reported Radio Free Asia Wednesday. That’s because some episodes of the S. Korean cartoon series were produced by a N. Korean subcontractor between 2002 and 2005.

The new U.S. sanctions against N. Korea bans products containing N. Korean components or technology as well as finished goods produced there. Eighteen of the 104 episodes of the hugely popular Pororo children’s cartoon series were made by Samcholli General Corp., a N. Korea-based subcontractor, between 2002 and 2005.

“U.S. imports of ‘Pororo’ episodes that were made after 2005 without North Korean help should not face any problems in terms of sanctions,” said a Unification Ministry official. “And episodes that were made before 2005 could be cleared for export to the U.S. following inspections.”

Pororo is a big hit among kids in S. Korea and the show has been sold to 110 nations in Asia and Europe. The brand value of the blue, goggle-wearing penguin has been estimated at W389.3 billion ($354 million) by the Seoul Business Agency which provides support for South Korea’s digital contents industry.

“U.S. exports are not that big since we only provide the cartoon to one Spanish-language channel in the U.S.,” said a spokesman for Iconix, the company that produces the series.

Under the new sanctions products manufactured at the inter-Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex as well as goods made in the Rajin-Sonbong special economic zone are likely to be banned from export to the U.S.

There is some doubt as to whether the sanctions will actually have much practical impact on Pororo. No products manufactured at the Kaesong Industrial Complex are being exported to the U.S., and the two Koreas have not co-produced any movies or animated content since the South imposed sanctions on the North in May last year, says the Unification Ministry.