{"id":384561,"date":"2026-04-10T06:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/384561\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:22:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:22:09","slug":"an-unofficial-ban-keeps-k-pop-at-bay-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/384561\/","title":{"rendered":"An unofficial ban keeps K-pop at bay in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

BEIJING (AP) \u2014 As mega K-pop group BTS returns to the stage<\/a> after a hiatus of more than three years, one major market is conspicuously missing from its 12-month world tour: China.<\/p>\n

The omission of one of the group\u2019s biggest fan bases comes as no surprise. In fact, just the opposite would have been huge news. China has blocked most South Korean entertainment since 2016 under an unofficial ban that also restricts movies and the country\u2019s popular TV dramas. For some Chinese, that means flying to Seoul to see their favorite groups perform \u2014 as many were expected to do for three shows opening the tour this week and weekend.<\/p>\n

China has long used trade restrictions<\/a> in geopolitical disputes. The trigger for the entertainment ban was a South Korean decision to allow the United States to deploy an anti-missile system<\/a> on its soil. What sets the ban apart is how long it has lasted, something analysts attribute to government concern about the massive popularity of Korean music and videos. China is a robust defender of its own cultural products.<\/p>\n

Rumblings that the ban could be eased \u2014 an expectation South Korean President Lee Jae Myung<\/a> has publicly voiced as he and Chinese leader Xi Jinping seek to improve ties \u2014 have thrust it back into the news.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s use of economic pressure signals the government\u2019s resolve, clarifies what it considers unacceptable and reinforces nationalism at home, said Seung-Youn Oh, a Bryn Mawr College professor who is writing a book on China\u2019s use of informal economic sanctions.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom China\u2019s perspective, these actions go beyond symbolism,\u201d she said in a written response to questions. \u201cThey are strategic tools to shape the international environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ban is not total<\/p>\n

Many K-pop groups have non-Korean members, and they have been allowed to perform in China. Pop-up stores selling K-pop merchandise attract lines of fans and require advance reservations during peak hours.<\/p>\n

For video, the growth of streaming means dramas are accessible to an extent \u2014 though the latest ones may be pirated versions. A check of four major Chinese platforms found a limited selection of about 50 dramas, and all at least four years old.<\/p>\n

The ban does not apply in Macao<\/a> and Hong Kong<\/a> \u2014 where the BTS tour lands in 2027 \u2014 because both are special regions in China with their own governments and laws. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m already really grateful that they can perform in places like Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan,\u201d said Tian Xin, who was in Seoul last month for a free comeback concert<\/a> ahead of the tour. \u201cThe rest is a matter of national policy. Of course, I still hope they can come closer to us \u2014 fans always want that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The missile defense system, known by the acronym THAAD<\/a>, is aimed at the North Korean threat, but China said its radar could be reconfigured to peer into its territory. Though the U.S. operates the system, it was South Korea\u2019s decision to allow the deployment that angered China.<\/p>\n

Besides the entertainment ban, China also drove out<\/a> a South Korean supermarket chain. The THAAD system remains \u2014 though recent security camera footage and other images have sparked speculation that the U.S. may have shipped some of the interceptor missiles to the Mideast for the war against Iran.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s concerns about K-pop fandom<\/p>\n

At first, China welcomed the \u201cKorean Wave\u201d as a cultural import compatible with its political system and a substitute for Western pop culture, the Korea Creative Content Agency, a government group, said in a report earlier this year. But the surging popularity of Korean music and dramas in the 2010s turned it into something that, the report said, needed to be controlled.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Chinese government had never experienced anything like that before,\u201d said Dong-ha Kim, a professor at the Busan University of Foreign Studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile the dispute over THAAD happened to coincide with that period, Beijing\u2019s fundamental concern goes deeper,\u201d he said. \u201cIt cannot allow foreign culture to shape the thinking of its young people, especially when its government has no control over the content.\u201d<\/p>\n

The government banned effeminate-looking men<\/a> from TV in 2021, a look that Chinese pop stars likely picked up from South Korean and Japanese performers.<\/p>\n

China also wants to develop its own pop culture as a form of soft power. Think the Labubu doll craze<\/a> and the food and drinks chains<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cChina wants cultural governance \u2014 to grow its own music industry,\u201d said Hyunji Lee, a financial analyst who covers the entertainment sector. \u201cIf K-pop floods back in, there\u2019s a direct conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n

China is mum on the ban<\/p>\n

China, though, has never acknowledged that a prohibition exists.<\/p>\n

\u201cChina has never imposed any so-called bans on the Republic of Korea,\u201d Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said in 2022. Another spokesperson, Lin Jian, said last September that China has no objection to \u201chealthy and beneficial\u201d cultural exchange with South Korea.<\/p>\n

Hopes for lifting the ban rose after Lee and Xi met twice<\/a>. During Lee\u2019s visit to China in January, the two governments signed an agreement to expand cultural and content exchange \u2014 but only gradually, and starting with just soccer and the traditional board game<\/a> called go.<\/p>\n

Xi quoted two Chinese idioms, according to the South Korean side: \u201cThree feet of ice does not form in a single day\u201d and \u201cFruit falls only when it ripens.\u201d They suggest that any opening will take time and happen when the conditions are right.<\/p>\n

On Chinese social media, some people said that K-pop \u2014 with its suggestive dance moves \u2014 is not appropriate for children. Others warned that Korean entertainment could overwhelm the domestic industry. Fans looked forward to performances in China that would save them from red-eye flights and the cost of hotel stays abroad.<\/p>\n

Yu Sang, a fan and event organizer, flew to Seoul five times last year for K-pop events and organized one for \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d at a shopping mall in Beijing on New Year\u2019s Eve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fans in China are incredibly devoted,\u201d she said. \u201cIf you go to the Arctic, I\u2019ll go to the Arctic with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

South Korea looks beyond China<\/p>\n

The ban has reshaped how South Korean entertainment companies see the Chinese market.<\/p>\n

Drama producers have felt the loss most acutely and have more to gain from an opening-up than the K-pop industry, said Lee, the financial analyst.<\/p>\n

Pirated versions don\u2019t generate income for the producers. The dramas are on small apps and sometimes disappear after a few days, according to reports posted by individuals on social media. Some of the apps themselves disappear, then reappear with slightly altered names.<\/p>\n

Netflix and Disney+, which distribute most South Korean dramas globally, are blocked in China. They can be accessed using a virtual private network, which is illegal to do (though enforcement is spotty).<\/p>\n

The K-pop industry has restructured so that China is no longer critical. Japan has become the anchor market, while North America has emerged as the primary growth frontier.<\/p>\n

\u201cChina matters,\u201d Lee said, \u201cbut it\u2019s not something companies are desperately waiting on anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Park reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Fu Ting in Washington and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BEIJING (AP) \u2014 As mega K-pop group BTS returns to the stage after a hiatus of more than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384562,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1631,114,1657,18261,146,122,85,756,8072,117780,46,715,26096,140775,409,400,126,8429],"class_list":{"0":"post-384561","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-asia-pacific","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-china","11":"tag-china-government","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-general-news","14":"tag-il","15":"tag-inc","16":"tag-international-news","17":"tag-iran-war","18":"tag-israel","19":"tag-k-pop","20":"tag-lee-jae-myung","21":"tag-lin-jian","22":"tag-music","23":"tag-netflix","24":"tag-world-news","25":"tag-xi-jinping"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384561","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384561\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384562"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384561"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384561"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}