**Twice Holds First Event in Mainland China in 9 Years Following Tzuyu’s ‘Taiwan Flag Controversy’ Last Month
IVE Holds Fan Signing Event in Shanghai…Expert: “China Approaching Cautiously Considering Impeachment Situation in South Korea”**
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kwon Soo-hyun reports that following the release of director Bong Joon-ho’s film ‘Mickey 17’ in China, K-pop girl groups such as Twice and IVE have visited China in succession.
There is analysis that the Chinese authorities are showing a move to ease the ‘Hallyu Ban’ to improve relations with South Korea amid pressure from the U.S.
The Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the 25th, “As the two neighbors (China and South Korea) take steps to improve relations, China is extending an olive branch to the South Korean government through the import of cultural products like K-pop and accepting South Korean tourists,” while introducing recent examples of K-pop girl groups visiting China.
On the 20th, IVE held a signing event in Shanghai attended by about 200 Chinese fans, and on the 22nd of last month, Twice also held a fan signing event in Shanghai.
Notably, for Twice, it was their first event in mainland China in about 9 years since the incident where member Tzuyu, who is from Taiwan, faced attacks from Chinese netizens in early 2016 after holding the Taiwanese flag on a Korean entertainment program, according to SCMP.
The media also mentioned the release of Bong Joon-ho’s film ‘Mickey 17’ across China on the 7th, suggesting that “faced with additional tariffs from the U.S., expectations are rising that China may further relax the unofficial restrictions on Hallyu to improve relations with South Korea.”
China had been applying the unofficial ‘Hallyu Ban’ since around 2016 in protest against the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system by U.S. Forces Korea.
Professor Zhou Xiaolei from Beijing Foreign Studies University stated in an interview with SCMP that the Chinese government is leading recent cultural exchange movements. “China is trying to improve relations with South Korea, an important neighbor and U.S. ally, before (then U.S. President Donald) Trump increases pressure on China,” he said.
Professor Zhou expected China to approach cautiously, considering the ongoing political turmoil in South Korea due to the impeachment situation, while seeking to improve relations with South Korea.
He said, “China is sending a signal of goodwill while watching how the political landscape in South Korea unfolds,” adding that “keeping open the possibility for better relations regardless of which new government comes to power in South Korea is a wise move.”