Will BTS Be Unable to Perform in China Due to Hanhanryeong? "It May Take at Least 5 Years"

Cultural Barriers Remain Despite Improving Relations
"Korean Wave's Return Won't Happen Overnight"

With mainland China excluded from the new world tour schedule of BTS, the view that China's so-called 'Hanhanryeong' (Korean Wave restriction measures) will not be lifted in the short term is gaining traction again.

Japanese tourists are taking commemorative photos in front of promotional materials announcing the comeback of the group BTS, returning as a complete group for the first time in 3 years and 9 months, on the stairs of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

On February 1, Singapore's leading Chinese-language media outlet Lianhe Zaobao highlighted that although BTS has announced a large-scale tour across more than 30 cities worldwide, China is not included among the destinations. The outlet interpreted this as a sign that the unofficial restrictions China has imposed on Korean cultural content remain in effect.

The Chinese government has never officially acknowledged the existence of Hanhanryeong, but since South Korea's deployment of THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) in 2016, the entry of Korean celebrities and content into China has been virtually blocked. As a result, K-pop concerts have been limited to Hong Kong or Macau rather than mainland China.

Experts note that although there are signs of gradual improvement in Korea-China relations recently, they draw a line at the possibility that regulations across the cultural sector will be lifted all at once. Sarah Keith, a media researcher at Macquarie University in Australia, stated, "There is room for China to gradually ease its unofficial restrictions, but the pace will be very slow," and predicted that "it could take about five years for Korean entertainers to regain the level of activity in China that they enjoyed in the past."

Diplomatic messages exchanged between the leaders of Korea and China also reinforce this cautious outlook. At last month's Korea-China summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping used the metaphor, "Three feet of ice cannot melt in a single day," indicating that immediate change regarding cultural openness should not be expected.

With the exclusion of mainland China performances from the new world tour schedule of the group BTS, the view that China's so-called "Hanhanryeong" (Korean Wave restriction measures) will not be lifted in the short term is gaining traction again.

Industry and academic circles analyze that internal calculations within China are at play. There are ongoing concerns that if K-pop, Korean dramas, and films flow back into China on a large scale, the domestic cultural industry could lose out in the competition. Furthermore, the nationalist sentiment and public opinion that have accumulated since the THAAD incident are also cited as reasons why authorities have no choice but to be cautious about cultural openness.

Ultimately, the exclusion of BTS's concerts in China is seen as a symbolic scene that once again highlights the reality surrounding Hanhanryeong. Even amid an atmosphere of improving Korea-China relations, the prevailing view is that it will take considerable time before the doors to cultural exchange are fully opened.