Hopes China may lift ban on K-content thwarted as Kep1er’s Fuzhou event is called off
The first K-pop fan meeting in mainland China in nearly nine years — a fan con by WakeOne’s girl group Kep1er — has been postponed due to “false reports and rumors” and “unstoppable external factors,” according to local Chinese promoter Aying Company on Wednesday.
“Recently, a large number of false reports and rumors regarding foreign groups holding performances in China have surfaced, becoming a widely discussed social issue and causing considerable social impact,” Fuzhou Tianyu Shidai Wenhua Chuanmei Youxian Gongsi, local partner coordinating concert authorization with the Chinese government, said in a statement distributed through Aying Company.
“At the same time, due to unstoppable external factors, we regret to inform everyone that the ‘2025 Kep1er Fan Meeting Fuzhou Stop,’ originally scheduled for Sept. 13, 2025, will be postponed.”
WakeOne, the group’s management agency, also confirmed the delay Thursday, citing “unavoidable local circumstances” while adding that it is uncertain when the event could be rescheduled.
Kep1er’s fan con, originally set for September in Fuzhou, Fujian province, was expected to draw around 1,000 fans with a setlist of around 15 songs combining live performances and interactive segments. WakeOne had announced the event only last week, raising speculation that China’s yearslong ban on Korean cultural content might be loosening.
The cancellation dampened hopes that Beijing could ease restrictions ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s anticipated visit to Korea in October for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. Industry insiders had interpreted Kep1er’s scheduled show as a possible sign of thawing cultural ties.
China imposed an unofficial ban on Hallyu in 2016 after South Korea deployed the US-led THAAD missile defense system, citing national security concerns. Since then, K-pop groups and Korean TV shows have been banned from distribution and live performances, particularly in the mainland.
In May, boy band EPEX announced a concert in Fuzhou — the same city where Kep1er was scheduled to perform — but canceled it just three weeks before the event. Korean indie band Say Sue Me called off a planned Beijing concert in July 2024 under similar circumstances.
jaaykim@heraldcorp.com
