The longest-running K-pop festival in Korea, the ‘Dream Concert,’ will be held in China this year. The Dream Concert is a performance organized by the Korea Entertainment Producers Association and has been held annually both domestically and internationally since 1995. Top K-pop singers will participate, and this year it will take place at the Hainan Sanya Sports Stadium with a capacity of 40,000 attendees. The lineup is still being finalized.
Domestic singers are slowly announcing concert plans in China. In addition to the news of large-scale concerts, the idol group iFex is set to hold a solo concert in Fuzhou, China, on the 31st of this month. While foreign nationality K-pop singers have appeared on Chinese television programs, it is the first time since 2016 for a K-pop group, composed entirely of members of Korean nationality, to hold a solo concert in the region.
At the end of last year and in January, Korean singer-songwriter Black Skirt, who holds U.S. nationality, received permission to perform in China, and last month, the Korean three-member hip-hop group Homey and singer-actor Kim Jaejoong conducted a concert and fan meeting in China.
Additionally, pop star KT Perry, who was previously denied visa issuance by the Chinese government for supporting past Taiwanese protests, is returning for concerts in China. KT Perry donned a sunflower-adorned dress during her 2016 concert in Taiwan and waved the Taiwanese flag on stage. The sunflower symbolizes the anti-China student protests that spread in Taiwan in 2014. The Sunflower Student Movement led to the election of President Tsai Ing-wen in 2016.
Following the controversy, KT Perry attempted to enter China in 2017 to attend an event, but it is reported that her entry was canceled due to visa issuance issues. KT Perry is scheduled to meet with 36,000 audience members in Hangzhou this November, nearly eight years later.
As a result, there is growing hope that the Chinese government is easing the 'Korean Wave restriction' (한한령) and unlocking the performance sector. Since 2016, China has applied unofficial retaliatory measures limiting the distribution of Korean content such as music, dramas, and films in response to the deployment of the U.S. THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile system in South Korea. Consequently, the broadcasting and screening of Korean visual content have been halted, and K-pop singers have been unable to perform.
The same applies to international pop stars. KT Perry, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and Maroon 5 had concerts canceled around 2015 to 2017. Justin Bieber's cancellation was attributed to 'past misbehavior,' while Lady Gaga and Maroon 5 faced cancellations for meeting the Dalai Lama in Tibet or posting birthday wishes on social media. As a result, famous singers have been meeting their fans in Hong Kong and Macau instead of mainland China.
Despite the Korean Wave restriction, illegal streaming of Korean content has continued to thrive in mainland China, reflecting ongoing demand for K-content. On the 23rd of last month, a launch ceremony for the 'K-Pop Korea-China Peace Association' was held in Seoul to advocate for lifting the Korean Wave restriction. Although it is an association led by a civil organization, it suggests that there is a strong desire for cultural exchange with Korea within China.
In response, the authorities also issued a conciliatory message. On the 29th of last month, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson stated during a regular briefing regarding the lifting of the Korean Wave restriction that 'China has always been open to beneficial cultural exchanges and cooperation with Korea,' expressing hope that 'Korea cooperates with China to promote exchange and cooperation between the two countries in various fields.'