China eases 'Han' restrictions: Optimism or fear?

In April, Mark (of the group NCT) introduced his first solo album The Firstfruit in Guangzhou - Photo: SM Entertainment

According to the Korea Times , for the past decade, China has almost closed its doors to importing Korean culture (since 2016). Now, Korean entertainment activities are gradually being organized again with many hopes and risks.

The "Korean Wave" is returning to China

Since the beginning of this year, many articles in both the US and South Korea have been written about China's potential to ease its "Han ban" - the restrictions on Korean entertainment culture - this May. And May has come, with some Korean entertainment activities being held again in China.

From April 9 to 15, NCT member Mark introduced his first solo album The Firstfruit at the Jingdong Shopping Center in Guangzhou. According to SM Entertainment, 4,000 people attended, although Mark's appearance was not announced in advance.

NCT WISH group to go to Shanghai to promote poppop album in March - Photo: SM Entertainment

In March, the boy group NCT WISH also came to Shanghai to promote their mini album poppop , holding a press conference with representatives from 60 media agencies in attendance.

Girl group IVE held a fan signing event in Shanghai in March, while girl group TWICE also held a fan signing event in February. Singer Kim Jae Joong held a fan meeting in Chongqing in February.

After years of de facto cultural freeze, the above signs suggest that China may be loosening up, the Korea Times commented.

Over the past 10 years, Korean cultural products that were thriving in China have suddenly been blocked.

China used to be K-pop's biggest market, but in recent years the Korean wave has been forced to shift to global strategies focused on the US and Europe.

But things have improved a lot now. In November 2024, China exempted Korean tourists from visas. In response, in March, South Korea announced that it would temporarily exempt Chinese tour groups from visas starting in the third quarter of this year.

Will K-pop escape the crisis thanks to China?

K-pop's recovery is showing in export numbers.

According to data from the Korea Customs Service, album exports to China fell from $51.3 million in 2022 to $33.9 million in 2023; by 2024, they had recovered to $59.8 million.

China has always been a strong consumer market for K-pop albums. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, China was South Korea's largest album export market with a value of 12.96 million USD - surpassing other countries and territories such as Japan, Taiwan and the United States.

The strongest sign of a cultural “break” is the return of large-scale concerts, which are the K-pop industry’s biggest source of revenue.

Since Big Bang’s tour in 2016, Korean idol groups have been virtually absent from Chinese stages. Now, on May 31, boy band EPEX is scheduled to hold a concert in Fuzhou. This will be the first large-scale concert by a K-pop idol group in China in nine years.

Boy band EPEX plans to hold first large-scale K-pop concert in China in 9 years - Photo: C9 Entertainment

Dream Concert, Korea's longest-running K-pop concert, is revealed to take place in September in Sanya.

“As China re-emerges as a viable market, the claim that K-pop is in crisis has begun to lose its credibility,” a music industry official told The Korea Times.

Pop culture critic Shim Jae Geol agrees, but notes that China is a high-risk market where policy changes can change the landscape overnight.

According to Mr. Shim, in the past nine years, many concerts have been canceled without warning. China may have loosened the restrictions as a way to stimulate domestic demand, but it is uncertain whether the demand for Korean culture will return to the way it was before.

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LE GIANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-quoc-noi-long-han-han-lac-quan-hay-lo-so-20250508115737832.htm