Why K-Pop Still Can’t Trust China: Sudden Cancellations Expose Unreliable Market

Fan meetings and signing events by Korean artists scheduled to take place in China have been falling through one after another, raising fresh questions over how far the country's doors have actually reopened to K-POP.

Expectations for expanded cultural exchanges between South Korea and China had grown earlier this year, but a string of cancellations and postponements, particularly in Shanghai, has put the K-POP industry back on alert.

In the past two months alone, planned Shanghai events involving Sunmi, Park Ji-hoon, EXO members Xiumin, Chen and Baekhyun, TREASURE, ALPHA DRIVE ONE, Evan and FTISLAND have faced disruptions. Notably, many of the cancellations came after preparations were already well underway.

TREASURE, for example, had already begun recruiting participants for its fan signing event through album purchases. The local organizer behind Xiumin and Chen's events was still announcing additional ticket sales and expanded fan benefits shortly before the events were called off.

Clear explanations have rarely followed. Notices have repeatedly cited broad terms such as "force majeure" or "unavoidable circumstances." Sunmi's side said it had concluded that the state of preparations could not sufficiently guarantee stable operations or a high-quality fan meeting experience, while FTISLAND's agency said its event had been postponed due to unavoidable circumstances.

Former IZ*ONE member and actress Kim Min-ju has faced a similar setback. She was originally scheduled to hold a fan meeting in Shanghai on Sept. 12, but the event was postponed. Her agency said an unexpected situation had arisen during the local organizer's preparations, while the organizer cited "unexpected objective factors." The fan meeting has since been rescheduled for Oct. 31, leaving attention on whether it will ultimately go ahead.

There have also been cases in which an event fell through in Shanghai but was later held elsewhere. T-ara member Hyomin was initially scheduled to hold a fan meeting in Shanghai on July 25. The event was postponed and moved to Macao, with tickets for the Shanghai date fully refunded. She eventually held the fan meeting in Macao on Sept. 12.

The disruptions did not begin in the fall. Former H.O.T. members Tony An and Kangta were scheduled to hold a joint fan meeting in Chengdu on May 31, only for it to be canceled a day before the event. A China fan event for RESCENE scheduled for June was also canceled, with the organizers citing local "force majeure circumstances."

Industry insiders say the recent wave of cancellations may be less a sudden shift than another sign of the uncertainty that has long surrounded attempts to organize events featuring Korean entertainers in mainland China.

One music industry source said that even when a local promoter believes an event is likely to be possible and begins preparations, there is no guarantee it will ultimately take place.

"From the organizer's perspective, they may decide that it looks feasible and start preparing the event, only for it to eventually become impossible," the source said. "It is difficult to know the exact reason, but my understanding is that there are cases where events fall through because of restrictions imposed by the authorities afterward."

Another industry source said circumstances can vary depending on local authorities.

"Events in China have always tended to depend heavily on decisions made by local authorities," the source said. "There have been cases where an event was canceled on the day itself even after approval had been received and fans had been recruited. You simply don't know for certain until the end. This isn't something that has only started happening recently."

Industry sources said that uncertainty may also explain why cancellation notices often provide little detail. One source noted that there has been talk within the industry of events becoming difficult to hold once attendance exceeds a certain number, but stressed that even that could not be regarded as a confirmed rule.

"There are cases where an event is canceled without people involved knowing exactly why it can no longer go ahead," the source said. "That puts agencies and organizers in a difficult position when it comes to giving a specific explanation in their notices."

Such uncertainty is also one reason some Korean entertainment companies remain more comfortable pursuing activities in Macao or Taiwan than in mainland China.

"There is still a degree of caution within the industry about entering mainland China," another music industry source said. "That seems to be why we continue to see more concerts and fan events taking place in places like Macao and Taiwan instead."

Multiple industry sources also said it would be premature to conclude that China's restrictions on Korean cultural content, widely known as the "Korean Wave ban," have effectively been lifted.

"It is difficult to say the restrictions have been lifted," one source said. "From what we are experiencing on the ground, not much has fundamentally changed from before."

In January, the Chinese government said South Korea and China had agreed to promote "healthy and beneficial cultural exchanges in an orderly manner." Yet there has still been no visible return of large-scale K-POP concerts in mainland China.

Now, with even smaller-scale fan meetings and signing events repeatedly facing last-minute disruptions, the uncertainty surrounding K-POP's path back into the mainland Chinese market remains firmly in place.