K-Pop concert to be held in Hong Kong and aired in mainland China on Feb 6-7
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The recording will be broadcast by China’s state-run Hunan Television, according to From Entertainment.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SEOUL – A K-Pop concert will be held in Hong Kong in February and aired across mainland China by a state-run broadcaster amid growing hopes of cultural exchanges between China and South Korea after nearly a decade of an unofficial ban.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited South Korea in November
The unofficial ban was introduced in 2017 as China protested against the US deployment of a missile shield system in South Korea and has, in effect, meant no Korean concerts or TV shows have been approved by the Chinese authorities.
Dream Concert 2026 will be held at Kai Tak Sports Park
“It will be the first time for a K-Pop concert to be broadcast in mainland China since cultural exchanges were severed – first in years,” an official at From Entertainment said on Dec 23.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it was not aware of any planned concerts or lifting of the unofficial ban on K-Pop.
The two countries are also coordinating a visit by Mr Lee to China early in 2026, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said in an interview with Yonhap News on Dec 22.
The From Entertainment official gave no details of which K-Pop acts would be performing.
However, shares of K-Pop agencies rallied on Dec 23, with HYBE rising 5 per cent, SM Entertainment gaining 8 per cent, JYP Entertainment adding 3 per cent and YG Entertainment jumping 4 per cent.
Dream Concert, a K-Pop event hosted annually by the Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association, was held in 2025 in Abu Dhabi in November after South Korean media reported that earlier plans of holding it in mainland China and Hong Kong were cancelled.
South Korean entertainment firm CJ ENM also hosted its annual MAMA Awards in Hong Kong in November. REUTERS
