From this month 20th, the Chinese government has resumed accepting and approving applications for foreign commercial performances, leading to increased interest in whether K-pop stars will be able to resume their performances in China.

According to the music industry on the 21st, a high-ranking official at Tencent Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Chinese IT giant Tencent, recently contacted major South Korean music production companies during a visit to Korea.

Tencent Music Entertainment operates China’s leading music platforms such as “QQ Music” and “Kugou Music”.

The apparent reason Tencent came to Korea was for music distribution cooperation. Despite various restrictions in Korea, music has not been heavily regulated, leading to K-pop songs such as those of BTS gaining popularity in the Chinese market. Additionally, this move is seen as a way to establish networking channels with Korean production companies in preparation for the eventual opening of the K-pop market in China.

An industry official stated, “Tencent has expressed interest in recruiting Korean celebrities for their programs in China in the future.”

Another industry official commented, “While they cannot hold concerts directly in China, activities such as album sales, online video calls with fans, and magazine photoshoots are already actively ongoing.” They added, “After suffering hardships following the ban on Korean cultural content in China, companies that focus solely on the Chinese market are unlikely to go ‘all-in’ even if the market reopens.”