Is the South Korean government hosting a “large-scale K-pop event” in China in January? That’s the question hot on the lips of fans.
According to Korean media, plans just might be underway.
The Korea Herald reported that four major K-pop agencies – Hybe, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment and YG Entertainment – have confirmed that brief enquiries from the South Korean presidential office with regards to artistes’ availability in January have been made.
However, the agencies also indicated that there hasn’t been any “formal casting”, nor has the event been confirmed.
The aforementioned agencies are home to some of the biggest names in Hallyu entertainment. Acts under Hybe include BTS, TXT, Enhypen, Seventeen, Le Sserafim and Illit, while Stray Kids and Twice are under JYP Entertainment’s belt. SM Entertainment oversees the likes of Girls’ Generation, NCT Dream, Super Junior and Shinee. Blackpink and Baby Monster are among the most bankable names under YG Entertainment.
Should the concert become a reality, it would mark the first large-scale K-pop concert in mainland China in nearly a decade, and some say it could also be the first step towards easing China’s restrictions on Korean cultural content, which were imposed in August 2016.
Talk of a concert comes after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a “mutually beneficial cooperative relationship” during a bilateral summit at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings last month.
Several events in China by K-pop acts have been cancelled this year. Boy band Epex’s scheduled performance in May was called off “due to issues in the local region”; girl group Kep1er’s September concert was postponed due to “local circumstances” and girl group Le Sserafim cancelled a fan meeting in Shanghai this month, citing “force majeure.” Local reports, however, state that authorities may have objected to Le Sserafim’s event due to the inclusion of the group’s Japanese member, amid diplomatic tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.