K-pop girl group Kep1er has postponed its upcoming fan concert in China, reigniting doubts over the easing of Beijing’s long-standing restrictions on Korean pop culture.
The group was scheduled to perform in Fuzhou on Sept. 13 in what would have been the first standalone concert by a K-pop act in China in nine years. But management agency Klep Entertainment said Wednesday the show has been delayed due to “unavoidable local circumstances,” with no new date set.
The announcement dealt a blow to investor sentiment, sending Korean entertainment stocks lower as hopes of a full lifting of the so-called Hallyu ban receded once again.
China has restricted Korean music, films and dramas since 2016, after Seoul’s deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system. While Korean concerts remain barred, signs of thaw have appeared since May last year’s trilateral summit among South Korea, China and Japan in Seoul, which paved the way for the return of Korean dramas and films to Chinese platforms.
Still, K-pop artists have so far been limited to small-scale fan meetings rather than concerts. Kep1er’s planned fan concert — a hybrid format combining a showcase and live performance, featuring 15 songs including Shooting Star and Rewind — had raised expectations as a milestone event for the industry.
by Byung-Yeon Yoo
yooby@hankyung.com
