Don’t maintain your breath for China to raise restrictions on Korean cultural content material

Chinese language President Xi Jinping’s first go to to South Korea in 11 years and his cordial summit with President Lee Jae Myung have prompted hopes that China will raise its ban on Korean cultural content material. Nevertheless, contemplating that the de facto ban on Korean leisure has developed into an equipment of management over Chinese language society, it seems unlikely that it is going to be lifted any time quickly. 

Expectations about what’s often called the “Hallyu ban” or “Korean Wave ban” — China’s unstated restrictions on Okay-pop, Korean films, Korean dramas and Korean entertainers — being lifted began swelling on Saturday after Park Jin-young, the famed Okay-pop producer now serving because the co-chair of the Presidential Committee on Well-liked Tradition Trade, had a nice dialog with Xi after the summit. 

The identical day, Democratic lawmaker Kim Younger-bae, who serves as vice chairperson of the Nationwide Meeting’s Overseas Affairs and Unification Committee, prompt that there was a excessive probability of China lifting the ban in a publish about Xi’s go to on social media. 

On Sunday, nonetheless, the Presidential Committee on Well-liked Tradition Trade issued a press release saying that the dialogue between Park and Xi didn’t exceed “customary pleasantries exchanged at a diplomatic event,” including that conclusions concerning the ban being lifted have been “untimely.” 

Specialists recommend that lifting the ban on Korean cultural content material is less complicated mentioned than executed. 

“The Hallyu ban was initially retaliation in opposition to the deployment of THAAD in 2016, however round 2021, Chinese language authorities witnessed the rise of a home fandom tradition and altered their method,” assessed Jee Man-soo, a senior researcher on the Korea Institute of Finance.

THAAD refers back to the Terminal Excessive Altitude Space Protection missile protection system. The US deployed a THAAD battery to US troops in Korea in 2016. 

“The Hallyu ban has since change into a coverage of limiting and prohibiting tradition and leisure that might have a damaging affect on younger individuals or probably encourage them to type organizations exterior the Chinese language Communist Get together. This is not going to change, even when relations with South Korea enhance,” Jee mentioned. 

In 2021, the third season of the Chinese language actuality present “Youth With You,” modeled after the Korean present “Produce 101,” grew to become massively in style. Mengniu Dairy, one of many sponsors of the present, began a advertising marketing campaign the place shoppers would scan a QR code on the lid of milk merchandise to vote for contestants within the present, prompting followers to purchase immense portions of Mengniu merchandise. Appalled by the affect wielded by fandoms after estimates got here out that 270,000 bottles of milk have been discarded after being purchased, Chinese language authorities quickly prohibited establishing recognition rankings for celebrities. Additionally they prohibited writing on-line feedback concerning rankings. Moreover, they unleashed stringent laws that place extra accountability on businesses in relation to managing expertise. 

Since then, there have been no large Okay-pop concert events in China, nor main concert events by Japanese or American artists.

Obsession with lifting the Hallyu ban as a sign of bettering Seoul-Beijing relations may truly do extra hurt to the connection than good, some say. 

“The current summit opened the doorways to bettering relations, that means the following job is to conduct a practical evaluation of the areas the place the 2 nations can cooperate and to make the required preparations,” mentioned Jee. 

By Park Min-hee, senior workers author

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