Kep1er to hold first K-pop concert in China in 9 years, fuelling hopes of easing Korean wave ban

SEOUL – Expectations are growing in South Korea’s music industry that China may ease its yearslong ban on Korean entertainment, with Kep1er set to hold the first K-pop gig in mainland China since 2016, in September.

The girl group, managed jointly by CJ ENM’s music subsidiary WakeOne and Klap Entertainment, will perform in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, on Sept 13. The group plans to present around 15 songs at the Fujian Meeting Hall, a venue that can hold up to 1,500 people. Klap Entertainment told The Korea Herald, however, that the show will be limited to about 1,000 attendees.

According to Korean media reports on Aug 20, the performance was officially approved in July by Fujian authorities, with the schedule listed on the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China’s website. The outlet also cited a government notice stating the event would draw large crowds and therefore require cooperation from public security authorities.

Kep1er debuted in early 2022 through Mnet’s audition programme Girls Planet 999. The seven-member act includes one Chinese and one Japanese member, and has previously performed in Japan, Macau and Taiwan, giving it recognition overseas.

The concert is drawing particular attention as it takes place just before Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to visit South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in late October – his first visit since 2014. Industry interprets the timing as a sign that Beijing could begin to ease its restrictions on Hallyu, or the Korean wave.

China imposed an unofficial ban on Korean cultural content in 2016 in retaliation for Seoul’s decision to deploy the US-led Thaad missile defense system. Since then, K-pop groups have been barred from staging concerts in the country, though fan meetings and pop-up stores have occasionally been allowed.

Blackpink recently launched a large-scale pop-up tour in China, starting in Shanghai on Aug 2 and extending to major cities including Shenzhen, Wuhan and Chengdu on Aug 3 and Beijing on Aug 5. Fans gathered at the shopping mall events, but no concerts were permitted.

Industry watchers caution against assuming the ban has been fully lifted.

In May, boy group Epex announced a concert in Fuzhou – the same city where Kep1er will perform – only to cancel three weeks before the date. Korean indie band Say Sue Me also cancelled a planned Beijing concert last July under similar circumstances.

“People in the industry are hopeful, especially with talk of Xi’s visit later this year, that the restrictions could finally be lifted,” an executive at a major K-pop agency said.

“But the Chinese market remains unpredictable. Even if doors open, political issues could cause them to close again at any time.” THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK