China's ban on Korean cultural products 'lifted' in promise only, '2025 Dream Concert' in Hainan postponed until further notice

On September 11 KST, From Entertainment, the organizer of the '2025 Dream Concert World Tour', announced that the '2025 Dream Concert' in Hainan, China, has been postponed "due to various circumstances." 

Originally, the '2025 Dream Concert' in Hainan was scheduled to take place at the Sanya Sport Center Stadium in Hainan on September 26 local time. However, insiders reported earlier on September 11 that several artists scheduled to perform at the Hainan concert were notified of the event's abrupt postponement. 

The event itself garnered significant attention as the first large-scale K-Pop concert scheduled to take place in mainland China in approximately 9 years, since China's unofficial ban on Korean cultural products in 2016. 

Unfortunately, according to insiders, China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has not issued its official approval for the concert. Some believe that the Foreign Ministry of China's statement from earlier this year, insisting that "China is always open to cultural exchange," is a promise to "lift" the ban on Korean cultural products in words only, and that it will still take some time before the ban is fully dissolved. 

As in the instance above, China seems to be limiting its permissions for large-scale concerts by Korean artists. The country has mostly granted permission for small-scale events, such as artists' fan meetings, press events, merchandise shops, etc. 

Meanwhile, the '2025 Dream Concert World Tour' is also currently scheduled to take place at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong on October 3 local time.