BTS‘s Suga has gained attention online for his recent comments surrounding the reasons that not all K-Pop idols can’t promote or perform in China.
Recently, the idol held a live broadcast following one of his shows for the Agust D D-Day tour.
During the broadcast, along with eating some food, he chatted with fans.
Unsurprisingly, in the midst of the tour, fans spoke about places they wanted Suga to visit, as there were many places the idol didn’t get to visit because of COVID.
After speaking about the reasons why he couldn’t go to many places, Suga started speaking about all the flags he could see in the comments, including China.
While looking at the comments, Suga suddenly exclaimed, “Everyone, it isn’t possible for me to perform in China.”
Suga explained that it wasn’t uncommon for K-Pop groups to have a lot of members from different countries.
In one K-Pop group these days, there are Koreans, Chinese, and members from different nationalities.
— Suga
Yet, the idol explained that when it comes to promoting in China and working in the country, it isn’t possible for it to happen, even if the group has Chinese members. Suga explained that the Chinese members themselves could work, but the group as a whole couldn’t.
I’ve seen instances where the Chinese members are allowed to work in China, but the group itself is not allowed to.
— Suga
With these restrictions, it’s not surprising that Suga then shared his desire to go back to China and tour for ARMYs, but it wasn’t possible for Korean artists.
While it might seem odd that idols can’t freely perform in China, especially due to the large number of Chinese idols, it’s all because of an unofficial Hallyu Ban. Over the last few years, China has imposed an unofficial ban on Hallyu, making it almost impossible for any K-Pop idol to physically promote or perform in the country. While it has eased in recent years, it is still present.
Suga’s words couldn’t have been proven more true in the case of aespa. Member NingNing was recently spotted filming for an upcoming Chinese survival show where she’s rumored to be a mentor.
While Suga’s explanation of idols’ circumstances perfectly explains why aespa‘s NingNing, along with other Chinese idols such as members of SEVENTEEN and WayV, can promote, it didn’t make sense for announcements made about other idols.
During the past few days, not only were netizens confused by the announcement of a fansign event in China for LE SSERAFIM…
Lesserafim China OFFLINE fansign Event
LE SSERAFIM 1st Studio Album 《UNFORGIVEN》中国一直娱线下签名会公告
参与签名成员：LE SSERAFIM全体成员5名
-… pic.twitter.com/YqyWMVtLgE— センちゃん³⁹
(@sakuchan_0812) June 12, 2023
But the group was also announced as a part of the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards lineup, including non-Chinese idols such as BIGBANG‘s Taeyang, PSY, and TREASURE.
LE SSERAFIM WILL PERFORM IN CHINA OMG ?!
LE SSERAFIM is included on the list of performers at the Tencent Music Entertainment Awards that will be held in China. pic.twitter.com/3zB5Sraxfu
— le sserafim pics (@sserapics) June 12, 2023
It would be a positive sign about the improving relationship between the two countries and the unofficial “Hallyu Ban.” Yet, Suga’s words still hold a huge amount of weight when explaining why it’s almost impossible to see a K-Pop group promoting in China.
You can read more about NingNing’s recent activities in China below.
Aespa’s NingNing Shocks Netizens With Her “Legendary” Visuals For A Chinese Audition Survival Show