Cai Yufang, 21, is a big fan of South Korean television dramas like "Shopping King Louie," a show about a profligate chaebol heir who loses his memory and learns the value of love and labor from a sweet, simple country girl.

The Shanghai student is one of millions of young Chinese consumers with a huge appetite for South Korean pop culture whose regular viewing habits have been disrupted by growing political tensions between the countries.

The mainland chill on South Korean content that follows Seoul's decision to deploy a missile defense system, however, is driving Chinese fans to get their "K-culture" fixes on peer-to-peer platforms instead of mainstream sites such as Youku, Tencent and iQiyi where some content has been taken down. The three sites did not respond to requests for comment.