China Maintains Hallyu Ban for Nine Years Since 2016
Repeated Cancellations of Announced Performances Lead to Cautious Expectations
With the recent Korea-China summit raising expectations for increased cultural exchange between the two countries, the music industry is also closely monitoring developments related to the "Hallyu Ban" (restrictions on Korean pop culture). Given the many variables and unique characteristics of the local market, there is a cautious atmosphere of observing the situation rather than making hasty predictions.
Park Jinyoung, Chairperson of the Committee for Korea-China Popular Culture Exchange, wrote on his social media account on November 2, "I was truly delighted to meet and speak with President Xi Jinping. I sincerely appreciate his attentive listening and kind words," adding, "I hope that, through popular culture, the people of both countries will be able to become even closer and share more stories together."
Previously, Kim Youngbae, a member of the National Assembly from the Democratic Party of Korea and the ruling party secretary of the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, posted that "President Xi Jinping showed a positive response to K-pop artists' performances in Beijing during the Korea-China summit dinner," which raised expectations for enhanced cultural exchange and, further, for the easing of the Hallyu Ban.
However, the Committee for Korea-China Popular Culture Exchange cautioned against overinterpretation in a press release, stating, "It is prudent and necessary to avoid excessive or premature conclusions regarding this matter."
China has imposed the Hallyu Ban, an unofficial retaliatory measure restricting Korean music, dramas, and films, since around 2016 in response to the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system by US Forces Korea. As a result, performances by artists active in the Korean popular music scene have not been permitted in China for the past nine years.
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