KEPA cautions against use of ‘Hallyu ban’ term amid Dream Concert broadcast in China

The Korea Entertainment Producer’s Association has urged reporters to refrain from using terms related to the so-called “Hallyu ban,” referring to China’s long-standing restrictions on Korean cultural content, citing Beijing’s sensitivity toward the wording.

The request came after KEPA announced Monday that its flagship K-pop event, “Dream Concert,” scheduled to be held at Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong in February, will be broadcast nationwide in China via Hunan Broadcasting System. The announcement fueled speculation that Beijing may be easing its unofficial restrictions on Korean pop culture, which have long prevented Korean artists’ performances and content from being formally aired on Chinese terrestrial or satellite television.

“China is highly sensitive to keywords related to the ‘Hallyu ban,’ so we ask that such terms be avoided as much as possible when writing articles,” KEPA said in a statement released Wednesday through its local public relations agency.

In the same statement, the association also clarified that the Dream Concert broadcast will air as a recorded program rather than a live transmission, stressing that its earlier announcement had led to misunderstandings that the concert would be aired in real time.

A live performance by Korean artists on Chinese terrestrial or satellite television has not been broadcast since before 2016, when Beijing effectively enforced Hallyu restrictions amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries.

For this reason, news that “Dream Concert 2026” will be aired via Hunan Broadcasting System — one of China’s most influential broadcasters — is being viewed as an exceptional development nearly nine years after Korean content was largely shut out of the mainland’s mainstream broadcast channels.

KEPA itself acknowledged the significance, describing the nationwide broadcast of a K-pop concert through a major Chinese network as a rare and meaningful achievement.

“Dream Concert has been an iconic brand representing K-pop for the past 30 years,” a KEPA official said. “This Hong Kong concert and its broadcast in China go beyond a simple performance relay, serving as a symbolic example of the expansion of cultural content exchange between Korea and China again.”

The official added that preparations for the event are proceeding as planned and that detailed schedules and the final lineup will be announced sequentially.

“Dream Concert 2026” is a joint project hosted by KEPA and China’s Changsha Tonggu Culture Co., with an organizer From Entertainment overseeing production. The initiative aims to expand the long-running K-pop concert brand onto the global stage, linking live performances with international broadcast collaborations as part of a broader cultural content partnership.