As mega Ok-pop group BTS returns to the stage after a hiatus of greater than three years, one main market is conspicuously lacking from its 12-month world tour: China.
The omission of one of many group’s greatest fan bases comes as no shock. In truth, simply the alternative would have been big news. China has blocked most South Korean leisure since 2016 underneath an unofficial ban that additionally restricts films and the nation’s well-liked TV dramas. For some Chinese, meaning flying to Seoul to see their favourite teams carry out — as many have been anticipated to do for 3 reveals opening the tour this week and weekend.
China has lengthy used commerce restrictions in geopolitical disputes. The set off for the leisure ban was a South Korean determination to permit the United States to deploy an anti-missile system on its soil. What units the ban aside is how lengthy it has lasted, one thing analysts attribute to authorities concern in regards to the huge recognition of Korean music and movies. China is a sturdy defender of its personal cultural merchandise.
Rumblings that the ban could possibly be eased — an expectation South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has publicly voiced as he and Chinese chief Xi Jinping search to enhance ties — have thrust it again into the news.
China’s use of financial strain indicators the federal government’s resolve, clarifies what it considers unacceptable and reinforces nationalism at house, stated Seung-Youn Oh, a Bryn Mawr College professor who’s writing a ebook on China’s use of casual financial sanctions.
“From China’s perspective, these actions go beyond symbolism,” she stated in a written response to questions. “They are strategic tools to shape the international environment.”
Many Ok-pop teams have non-Korean members, and so they have been allowed to carry out in China. Pop-up shops promoting Ok-pop merchandise entice strains of followers and require advance reservations throughout peak hours.
For video, the expansion of streaming means dramas are accessible to an extent — although the newest ones could also be pirated variations. A test of 4 main Chinese platforms discovered a restricted collection of about 50 dramas, and all not less than 4 years previous.
The ban doesn’t apply in Macao and Hong Kong — the place the BTS tour lands in 2027 — as a result of each are particular areas in China with their very own governments and legal guidelines.
“I’m already really grateful that they can perform in places like Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan,” stated Tian Xin, who was in Seoul final month for a free comeback live performance forward of the tour. “The rest is a matter of national policy. Of course, I still hope they can come closer to us — fans always want that.”
The missile protection system, recognized by the acronym THAAD, is aimed on the North Korean menace, however China stated its radar could possibly be reconfigured to look into its territory. Though the U.S. operates the system, it was South Korea’s determination to permit the deployment that angered China.
Besides the leisure ban, China additionally drove out a South Korean grocery store chain. The THAAD system stays — although latest safety digital camera footage and different pictures have sparked hypothesis that the U.S. could have shipped among the interceptor missiles to the Mideast for the struggle in opposition to Iran.
At first, China welcomed the “Korean Wave” as a cultural import suitable with its political system and an alternative to Western popular culture, the Korea Creative Content Agency, a authorities group, stated in a report earlier this 12 months. But the surging recognition of Korean music and dramas within the 2010s turned it into one thing that, the report stated, wanted to be managed.
“The Chinese government had never experienced anything like that before,” stated Dong-ha Kim, a professor on the Busan University of Foreign Studies.
“While the dispute over THAAD happened to coincide with that period, Beijing’s fundamental concern goes deeper,” he stated. “It cannot allow foreign culture to shape the thinking of its young people, especially when its government has no control over the content.”
The authorities banned effeminate-looking males from TV in 2021, a glance that Chinese pop stars possible picked up from South Korean and Japanese performers.
China additionally desires to develop its personal popular culture as a type of gentle energy. Think the Labubu doll craze and the meals and drinks chains.
“China wants cultural governance — to grow its own music industry,” said Hyunji Lee, a financial analyst who covers the entertainment sector. “If K-pop floods back in, there’s a direct conflict.”
China, although, has by no means acknowledged {that a} prohibition exists.
“China has never imposed any so-called bans on the Republic of Korea,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian stated in 2022. Another spokesperson, Lin Jian, stated final September that China has no objection to “healthy and beneficial” cultural alternate with South Korea.
Hopes for lifting the ban rose after Lee and Xi met twice. During Lee’s go to to China in January, the 2 governments signed an settlement to increase cultural and content material alternate — however solely step by step, and beginning with simply soccer and the normal board sport referred to as go.
Xi quoted two Chinese idioms, in keeping with the South Korean aspect: “Three feet of ice does not form in a single day” and “Fruit falls only when it ripens.” They recommend that any opening will take time and occur when the circumstances are proper.
On Chinese social media, some individuals stated that Ok-pop — with its suggestive dance strikes — just isn’t acceptable for kids. Others warned that Korean leisure might overwhelm the home trade. Fans regarded ahead to performances in China that may save them from red-eye flights and the price of resort stays overseas.
Yu Sang, a fan and occasion organizer, flew to Seoul 5 occasions final 12 months for Ok-pop occasions and arranged one for “KPop Demon Hunters” at a shopping center in Beijing on New Year’s Eve.
“The fans in China are incredibly devoted,” she stated. “If you go to the Arctic, I’ll go to the Arctic with you.”
The ban has reshaped how South Korean leisure corporations see the Chinese market.
Drama producers have felt the loss most acutely and have extra to achieve from an opening-up than the Ok-pop trade, stated Lee, the monetary analyst.
Pirated variations do not generate revenue for the producers. The dramas are on small apps and typically disappear after a couple of days, in keeping with experiences posted by people on social media. Some of the apps themselves disappear, then reappear with barely altered names.
Netflix and Disney+, which distribute most South Korean dramas globally, are blocked in China. They might be accessed utilizing a digital non-public community, which is illegitimate to do (although enforcement is spotty).
The Ok-pop trade has restructured in order that China is not crucial. Japan has turn out to be the anchor market, whereas North America has emerged as the first progress frontier.
“China matters,” Lee stated, “but it’s not something companies are desperately waiting on anymore.”
Associated Press writers Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul and Fu Ting in Washington and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed.
© Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed with out permission.