K-pop Group's China Concert Suddenly Postponed After 9 Years of Hanhanryeong

The K-pop group IVE's concert scheduled in China this month has been postponed. C9 Entertainment

The group EPEX has postponed their solo concert in China, which was scheduled for the end of this month.

On May 9, their agency C9 Entertainment announced via social media that the "2025 EPEX Concert Youth Deficiency in Fuzhou," which was scheduled to take place in Fuzhou, China on May 31, has been unavoidably postponed due to local circumstances. The agency stated that the new date and venue are currently under discussion and will be announced once confirmed.

This concert was to be EPEX's first solo performance in China with all members holding Korean nationality, and it was planned to be held at the "MAAQUU X CH8 Livehouse" in Fuzhou with a capacity of about 1,000 seats. The event drew attention as it would have been the first commercial performance by a K-pop group in about nine years since the implementation of the unofficial "Hallyu Ban" (Hanhanryeong) in 2016.

China has unofficially enforced the Hanhanryeong, restricting Korean music, dramas, and films since 2016 in response to the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system by US Forces Korea.

Recently, the Korean hip-hop trio Homies held a concert in China, and singer-actor Kim Jaejoong hosted a fan meeting there. These local activities have raised expectations for a possible easing of the Hanhanryeong.

Immediately after news of EPEX's concert was announced, the hashtag "EPEX Fuzhou Solo Concert" recorded 15.18 million views in a single day on Chinese social media platform Weibo, and EPEX ranked seventh in real-time searches in the entertainment category, demonstrating high interest.

However, with the concert suddenly postponed about three weeks before the event, its final realization has become uncertain. The agency has not released any further statements on the matter.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.