BTS member Suga talks about China's unofficial K-pop ban; here’s what he said

Suga aka Agust D, a member of the super popular boy band BTS, has for the first time referred to China’s alleged ban on South Korean artists. During a live stream session with his fans, Suga talked about how no Korean singers or actors could work in the land of their powerful neighbor.

The media in South Korea has gathered that the singer’s comments are about China's unofficial ban on K-pop. Officially, China has not recognised the restrictions on K-pop that are in place since 2016.

What did Suga say about China?

In his live session with fans during his world tour, when Suga was asked whether he would be touring China as a solo artist, Suga made a counter question when he said, "How could I tour in China when we can't perform there?"
Suga explained that while “People of other nationalities in a K-pop group can go work in China” those groups "cannot perform in China as a whole".

However, K-pop groups are allowed to perform in China's Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. The unsaid ban is only in mainland China.

What changed between China and South Korea?

There are increasing tensions between China and South Korea. As a result, their once culturally rich exchange has been affected, albeit unofficially.

Reports say that very few South Korean celebrities have been able to perform in China since August 2016. Also, Korean television shows and films have almost vanished from TV channels and cinema theaters in China.

South Korean businesses have also faced a similar backlash in China and have been forced to scale down operations. In fact, in 2017, South Korea appealed to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to check if China was doing this deliberately to South Korean companies.

China and South Korea can’t see eye to eye since 2017 over the deployment of the USA’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THADD) defense system in South Korea.

FAQs

What is BTS?
BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band consisting of members Suga, Jin, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook.

What is Suga’s solo name?
BTS member Suga goes by the name of Agust D in his solo music career as a singer.