Features
China Enforces K-Pop Ban
The Chinese government has fined an unnamed “Chinese entertainment corporation” the equivalent of $14,460 for “pushing ahead with a Korean idol group concert that had not been approved by the Chinese government,” according to the South China Morning Post.
Photo: AP Photo
MTV World Stage Live, Sunway Lagoon, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In addition, the company was ordered to refund tickets for “double the original ticket price.”
The news is seen as proof that Chinese authorities are making good on their threat to ban Korean entertainment content in China as retaliation against South Korea for deploying the THAAD American missile defense system, which China sees as a threat to its own security. The ban also affects Korean TV shows, which are popular in China.
As yet, the ban doesn’t seem to have affected the MNET Asian Music Awards, which honors K-pop artists and is hosted by the powerful South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M. The ceremony takes place in Hong Kong on Dec. 2 and as of Nov. 30 was still on track. However, it isn’t clear if it will be broadcast in China.