Hallyu actors Song Joong-ki (left, Blossom Entertainment) and Lee Min-ho (Starhaus Entertainment)

Korean celebrities have apparently become a convenient scapegoat for Chinese authorities who are forcing them out of local TV programs in China, let alone music concerts.

The General Office of Broadcasting and Television in China have ordered local broadcasters to abide by a set of guidelines Monday, saying Korean idol groups are now “prohibited from having activities in China on air” and “are not allowed to have any concerts with more than 10,000 fans,” providing no further details on why they made such a decision.

The enforcement took effect as of Monday and is likely to cause widespread damage to both local and Korea’s broadcasters and agencies.

According to Korean news outlet Sports Chosun’s report Monday, Korean entertainment agencies were forced to cancel their artists’ scheduled TV appearances. Moreover, the scenes featuring the perfomers are being edited out.

“Large TV stations in China are taking actions to ban hallyu stars from appearing at their reality show,” an industry source was quoted as saying. “Furthermore, contracts with the hallyu stars are being nullified.”

Korean news outlets attribute the statewide ban to escalating tension in the Sino-Korean relationship triggered by Seoul‘s decision to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense.

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)

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