In connection with some media reports that the China travel ban on Korean pop culture, the so-called "Korean Wave ban," is expected to be lifted following the Korea-China summit, The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange on the 2nd said that such expectations are a "premature judgment."
The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange said the same day, "There were some media reports that Chinese President Xi Jinping responded positively at the Korea-China summit dinner to Chairperson Park Jin-Young of The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange proposing performances in China by Korean singers," adding, "The exchange between President Xi and Chairperson Park was a general pleasantry at the level of broad principles as they greeted each other at an official diplomatic event."
It added, "We are cautious that overinterpreting this would be premature. That said, as the atmosphere of friendly cooperation between the two countries has been further elevated through this Korea-China summit, we expect that more active cultural exchanges can take place going forward."
The Presidential Committee on Popular Culture Exchange is a presidential public-private cooperation body co-chaired by Park Jin-Young, the chief producer and head of JYP Entertainment. Park and Minister Chae Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism serve as co-chairs.
Earlier, Wi Sung-lac, director of the Office of National Security, said at a briefing at the Gyeongju International Media Center the previous day after the Korea-China summit, "Let's have a lot of exchanges and cooperation in culture. There was a shared understanding to work toward (cooperation in) content," adding, "We will be able to coordinate through working-level communication going forward."
In this regard, expectations emerged that China might be moving to lift the Korean Wave ban after Kim Young-bae, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea who serves as the ruling party secretary on the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, posted on Facebook to the effect that "at the Korea-China summit dinner, Chinese President Xi Jinping showed a receptive attitude toward K-pop singers performing in Beijing, China."
In July 2016, after Korea finalized the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, China implemented the so-called Korean Wave ban, prohibiting the broadcast of content produced in Korea and advertisements featuring Korean entertainers.