KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 — Tensions between China and Japan are reportedly affecting K-pop activities in China, with several events involving groups that include Japanese members cancelled or altered in recent weeks.
According to The Korea Herald, one such case involved Le Sserafim’s meet-and-greet event in Shanghai for its single “Spaghetti”, which was cancelled after organisers cited an “uncontrollable factor” without further explanation.
The five-member girl group includes two Japanese members, Sakura and Kazuha, and the decision has fuelled industry speculation about the impact of strained China-Japan relations.
Other disruptions include a December 6 fan meeting in Hangzhou by boy group Close Your Eyes, which went ahead without its Japanese member Kenshin, and the abrupt cancellation of a separate fan event featuring Japanese trainees from Mnet’s “Boys II Planet”.
Incode Entertainment, the agency representing the trainees, said the cancellation was due to “a significant and unexpected force majeure situation” that made it impossible to proceed, despite efforts to explore alternative arrangements.
China has largely restricted South Korean entertainment activities since Seoul’s 2016 decision to deploy the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system, although smaller fan meetings had remained possible.
Hopes of a thaw following the November 1 Korea-China summit have since been tempered by these latest developments involving multinational K-pop acts.
