South Korea’s culture minister says lifting of China’s Hallyu ban remains fragile
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Mr Chae said there has been little tangible advancement in lifting of restrictions.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
SEOUL - South Korea’s Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young said on Feb 12 that progress towards easing China’s so-called “Hallyu ban”
Speaking at a press briefing in Seoul, Mr Chae acknowledged that while parts of the industry anticipate a gradual lifting of restrictions on South Korean cultural content in China, there has been little tangible advancement so far.
China informally restricted South Korean cultural imports in 2016, following Seoul’s decision to deploy the US THAAD missile defense system. Expectations for improvement grew last October after Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the Apec summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and again in January when President Lee Jae Myung visited China.
During a press conference in Shanghai in January, Mr Lee said Mr Xi had remarked that “ice three meters thick does not melt in a single day” and that “fruit ripens and falls when the time is right,” signalling that a complete thaw would take time.
Mr Lee described Mr Xi’s remarks at the time as “a clear expression of intent” towards improving the situation.
Mr Chae, however, struck a more cautious tone.
“President Xi said that ice three meters thick doesn’t melt overnight, but to me, it feels like walking on thin ice,” he said. “I believe this is thin ice that could crack at any moment, and we could fall through if we’re not careful.”
He added that the government is working to build trust and mutual understanding so that both sides feel reassured that expanded cultural exchange will not be harmful.
He also said that he recently met Chinese officials overseeing sports and tourism during the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy. He said both sides expressed support for greater people-to-people exchanges, adding that more interaction between the two countries’ citizens would naturally create more opportunities for Chinese audiences to encounter South Korean culture.
Since October 2025, Mr Chae has served as co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange alongside Park Jin-young, founder of JYP Entertainment. The committee’s long-term goals include hosting a large-scale global K-pop festival in South Korea by 2027, featuring participation from agencies and artists across the industry.
“Artists’ schedules are already fully booked for this year and next,” Mr Chae said. “But by the end of 2027, we hope to clear their calendars and hold a festival of that scale.”
He added that once a venue is secured, organisers plan to incorporate broader K-culture promotion elements.
“It could take the form of a Korea House, a Korea Arena or a Korea Stadium,” he said. “These ideas are currently being discussed within the committee.” THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
