K-pop has been banned in China for almost a decade. Until now, maybe.

HONG KONG — The performance was acceptable to beryllium tiny but significant: the archetypal by an all-Korean K-pop set successful mainland China aft an unofficial prohibition connected specified shows for astir a decade.

That was breathtaking quality for fans similar Haerin Ouyang, a assemblage pupil successful the coastal Chinese metropolis of Fuzhou, wherever the South Korean lad set Epex had been scheduled to execute connected Saturday.

But the amusement was canceled earlier this month, little than 2 weeks aft it was announced, leaving Ouyang “heartbroken.”

“The venue is lone a 10-minute thrust from my school, and it would person been amusive to spell with friends,” she said.

C9 Entertainment, which manages Epex, cited “local circumstances” successful announcing the cancellation connected May 9, dashing hopes that China was opening its doors to K-pop shows for the archetypal clip since 2016.

The ban, which China has ne'er officially acknowledged, began aft South Korea announced the deployment of an American anti-ballistic rocket defence strategy that China said was aimed astatine constraining its powerfulness successful the region.

Before the ban, China — the second-biggest euphony marketplace successful Asia aft Japan — was 1 of the fastest-growing markets for K-pop and different South Korean popular culture, whose accelerated emergence successful planetary popularity is known arsenic the Korean Wave, oregon hallyu.

“In the K-content and K-pop markets arsenic well, China’s user powerfulness is regarded arsenic top-tier,” said Kang Soyoung, a prof astatine Seoul Digital University.

The China prohibition is estimated to person outgo the South Korean system astir $16 cardinal since 2016, she said.

But the Epex concert’s cancellation does not needfully bespeak the authoritative presumption of the Chinese government, Kang cautioned, arsenic China has been gradually reopening to South Korean civilization aft years of tension.

While K-pop acts person been blocked, different South Korean bands person been allowed to play. In April, the South Korean hip-hop trio Homies became the archetypal all-Korean enactment to execute successful mainland China successful 8 years. A South Korea-based Korean American instrumentalist successful a one-man indie stone set performed successful the Chinese cities of Xi'an, Wuhan and Zhengzhou successful precocious 2024 and aboriginal 2025.

A large-scale K-pop associated performance is besides scheduled to beryllium held successful September astatine a 40,000-seat stadium successful the Chinese land state of Hainan. The Korea Entertainment Producers’ Association, which announced the lawsuit successful April, did not reply to an email asking whether that performance is inactive going ahead.

Kang said she believed the hallyu prohibition would soon beryllium lifted and the Hainan performance would “proceed without issue.”

There are besides signs of increasing concern ties. Hybe, the South Korean amusement institution that manages the planetary K-pop sensation BTS, precocious opened an bureau successful Beijing, according to South Korean media. On Friday, China’s Tencent Music was acceptable to go the second-largest shareholder successful the different large K-pop label, SM Entertainment, aft Hybe said successful a regulatory filing that it would merchantability Tencent its full stake.

“It shows that determination is simply a greater accidental for collaboration betwixt the 2 countries, particularly successful the amusement industry,” said Ellen Kim, manager of world affairs astatine the Korea Economic Institute of America. “It mightiness beryllium a starting constituent for industry-level practice that could unfastened much doors betwixt the 2 countries.”

The diplomatic thaw extends beyond culture. In November, China said it would assistance visa exemptions for South Korean visitors, and South Korea has said it volition bash the aforesaid for visitors from China.

China’s increasing friendliness toward South Korea mightiness beryllium partially motivated by the unstable concern connected the planetary stage, Kim said. Both countries look progressively hostile and unpredictable U.S. commercialized policies nether President Donald Trump.

In addition, China is struggling with anemic home depletion that would beryllium aided by K-pop’s high-spending fans.

China has besides been strengthening its ain amusement manufacture and has much assurance successful it, Kang said, pointing to the record-breaking occurrence this twelvemonth of the Chinese movie “Ne Zha 2,” the world’s highest-grossing animated movie ever.

“It present has robust resilience against the ‘invasion’ of overseas content,” she said.

China’s imaginable thaw toward South Korean amusement comes arsenic it further restricts the fig of Hollywood films allowed to beryllium screened successful its theaters successful effect to Trump’s tariffs.

China-South Korea ties could besides get a boost from adjacent week’s South Korean statesmanlike election. The front-runner, Lee Jae-myung, is considered friendlier to China than his predecessor.

“If helium wins, it mightiness beryllium a substance of clip that things volition change, which volition let the Korean entertainers to travel into the state and play their music,” Kim said.