The Chinese government's ”ban on Korean culture” to restrict the inflow of Korean culture may be lifted as early as May = Hopes rising in Korea

The Chinese government, which has imposed a "ban on Korean culture" that restricts the inflow of Korean culture, including K-POP, Korean TV series, and movies, may lift this ban as early as May.
The state of emergency has been criticized for dealing a serious blow to the South Korean economy, and the South Korean government is hoping for it to be lifted for the first time in about nine years since the summer of 2016.
China said that South Korea and the United States had agreed to purchase the U.S.'s most advanced ground-based interceptor missile, the High-Density Defense System, in 2016.
In response to the agreement to deploy the THAAD missile in South Korea, the government issued a "ban on Korean content" in the same year, restricting the distribution of Korean content.
In addition to banning the import of Korean pop culture, the government also forbade the activities of Korean stars in China.
The existence of the ordinance itself has not been officially acknowledged. However, in December 2021, the Korean film "Oh! Moon-i" will be released in China. In November 2022, the online video STREAM service (OTT
) Korean movies have resumed screenings in Korea. As restrictions on TV series and games have been gradually lifted, some have suggested that the "Korean ban" had been lifted for a time.
However, even after that, a Korean star who was scheduled to appear as a guest on a Chinese variety show suddenly canceled, and
There have been a series of incidents suggesting that the ban on Korea is still in effect, such as the major portal site "NAVER" becoming inaccessible from China.
Although the Chinese government has not acknowledged it, some believe that the "ban on Korea" is being imposed due to the deterioration of Sino-Korean relations.
With the Xi Jinping administration placing importance on China's own culture, the government has raised concerns about the over-heating of Chinese fans who spend large amounts of money on supporting Korean stars, fearing that this could have a negative impact on China.
Some believe this is due to fears that the government may be compromising its ability to hold K-POP concerts. Since the 2016 order, large-scale K-POP concerts have not been permitted in mainland China.
However, in reality, complete regulation is difficult, and Internet piracy is still prevalent today.
The popularity of the Korean Wave is expanding through the Korean version. Meanwhile, South Korean media such as Yonhap News reported that the ban on Korean content may be lifted as early as May.
In 2019, there was a growing expectation that Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit to be held in Gyeongju, southeastern South Korea, and the ban on travel to South Korea was expected to be lifted on his visit.
The JoongAng Ilbo also reported that the amount of foreign investment in China in January this year, announced by the Ministry of Commerce, was down 13.4% compared to the same month last year.
The size of the market also fell 27.1% from the previous year, and it was pointed out that "the trend of foreign companies moving away from China has become clear." He added that "the Chinese government has determined that the trend of foreign capital moving away from China is serious, and on the 10th it passed a resolution to "impose a 2025 quota on foreign companies by 2025."
The full text (20 articles) of the "Action Plan for Stabilizing Foreign Investment" (which outlines the expansion of liberalization in fields such as communications, medicine, and education) was made public. This contains the basic tone of liberalization of the cultural industry,
The paper also reported that Xi met with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-sik on the 7th and said, "We need to increase people-to-people exchanges and strengthen friendly feelings between our people.
"I'm happy," he said, adding that this "can be interpreted as a positive thing." In response to these reports, Korean entertainment stocks rose on the 20th. According to Korea Economy, Choi Yeo of KB Securities
"The biggest beneficiary of the lifting of the ban on Korean performances will be the Korean entertainment sector, which will be able to perform in China," Ninhyun told the newspaper.
According to South Korea's public broadcaster KBS, an official from the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the same day that the possibility of lifting the ban on Korean travel was increasing.
In response to the report, the government stated, "At every opportunity, the government has emphasized to the Chinese side the importance of cultural exchanges between the two countries, including cultural content, and has continued to demonstrate the need to expand exchanges.
We will continue to make proactive efforts to further revitalize the area."