How to properly send JSON metadata value to Woocommerce API

[admin]

My c# application creates products using the Woocommerce.NET NuGet package.

I'm sending metadata with the

key

:

woodmart_variation_gallery_data

and

value

:

{"5543":"5519"}

But the plugin that uses this metadata can't use the value, <strong>however</strong>, when checking the metadata in the database, it's exactly the same as I sent it.

But WordPress should serialize it unless I'm sending the JSON the wrong way.

For example, I need to send this JSON to Woocommerce:

{"5543":"5519"}

Here's how I would to this using code:

Product product = new Product();
//add some stuff like price

product.meta_data = new List<ProductMeta>()
{
    new ProductMeta()
    {
        key = "woodmart_variation_gallery_data",
        value = "{\"5543\":\"5519\"}"
    }
}
await wcObject.Products.Add(product);

When this run, what I'm expecting to see in the database postmeta is serialized code:

a:1:{i:5543;s:4:"5519";}

But what I see is

{"5543":"5519"}

It's supposed to be serialized by wordpress/woocommerce, but it's not?