Korean entertainment industry falls victim to Korea-China diplomatic row
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense is proving to have a negative rollover effect on the mainland activities of Korean entertainment stars and TV series
By Kim Jae-heun
China has strengthened its regulations against Korean stars performing on the mainland and appearing on TV series in retaliation to Korea’s continued pledge to deploy a U.S. missile defense system in the country.
Cheong Wa Dae and the U.S. agreed to install the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in Korea in July and are showing no signs of withdrawing the plan despite strong criticism from the Chinese government. Beijing has decided to ban hallyu, or the Korean wave, in its territory.
According to a report from China’s culture ministry on Tuesday, no Korean singer has been approved to perform in the country since October.
Industry sources said no Korean stars have performed in China not only because people are discouraged to organise concerts there and the number of applications has decreased but also because some applications have been turned down by the Chinese government.
“We are to ban all Korean entertainment programmes under the new guideline that came down from the government,” said an official from ENT Group, a Chinese media and entertainment company. “Programmes that have been approved by reviews and meet the official guidelines of entertainment programmes have been excluded.”