China’s first K-pop concert in nine years signals efforts to mend ties

SEOUL – Nearly a decade after China imposed an unofficial ban on K-pop performances, Beijing appears to be lowering one of the non-trade barriers that kept South Korea’s cultural phenomenon out of the country.

South Korean boy band Epex are gearing up for a concert in China in May, their agency C9 Entertainment said on April 29, raising expectations that Beijing may ease restrictions on K-pop culture. 

The concert by Epex, an eight-member group, is scheduled for May 31 in Fuzhou city in Fujian province. It will mark the first performance in nine years in China by a K-pop group made up of South Koreans, C9 Entertainment chief executive Lee Jae-young told Bloomberg News by phone.

K-pop stars with foreign nationalities have occasionally appeared on Chinese television shows, according to Yonhap News Agency, which first reported the news. Mr Lee said the Fuzhou concert venue has a capacity of about 1,000.

The timing may be coincidental, but it adds to growing evidence that China is seeking to improve relations with regional partners, as countries grapple with increasingly hostile and unpredictable trade policies under United States President Donald Trump.

In March, trade chiefs of South Korea, China and Japan met in Seoul, where they renewed calls for an open, fair flow of goods and pledged to deepen economic ties.

China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

China imposed the so-called “K-wave ban” in 2016 in retaliation for Seoul allowing the US military to deploy the missile defence system called Thaad, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defence. Before the restrictions, China was among the fast-growing market for K-pop.

Beijing reacted by blocking Chinese tour groups from visiting South Korea, while sales of South Korean products such as cars and cosmetics also declined.

Lotte Group pulled back by selling its supermarket business and exiting a theme park project under development in China. Companies such as Samsung Electronics have shifted production from China to Vietnam and other countries. 

The latest move raised doubts among curious Chinese fans, and some took to the social media asking: “Has the Korea ban been lifted?”

Epex’s plans come as some South Korean movie and music stars have cautiously resumed their activities in China.

Some attended a Ralph Lauren fashion show in Shanghai, holding fan meet-ups in major cities that have been shunned since China’s ban. South Korean producers have begun talks over content exports, but there have been no official approvals on K-dramas yet by the Chinese government.

Shinhan Securities analyst Ji In-hae said in a recent note that it would be a “real, substantial” signal of relaxed restrictions if China allows K-pop singers to perform at large concert halls and permits local broadcasters to air new K-dramas. Bloomberg