Lee Byung-Hun and Rhee Min-Jung Wedding (Photo : Getty Images)
Although South Korean artists had been hit hard by the Hallyu ban in China due to the THAAD missile deployment, there are still some top-tier artists who remain active in China. These artists receive two or three times more TV appearance fees in China than in South Korea.
9 Artists Not Affected
The Korea Times said Kim Tae-hee topped the list of such artists. She is an actress known for her role in “Stairway to Heaven” and is married to another Korean singer and actor Rain who is number 3 on the list. The other celebrities in the list are Song Seung-heon, Kwon Sang-woo, Son Tae-young, Lee Joon-gi, Kim Ha-neul, Park Si-hoo and Kim Beom.
Song Seung-heon is known for his role in the TV drama “Autumn in My Heart,” Kwon Sang-woo for “Stairway to Heaven,” Song Tae-young is a former Miss South Korea and acted in the film “Love War,” Lee Joon-gi for “Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo,” Kim Ha-neul for “On the Way to the Airport,” Park Si-hoo for “The Princess’ Man” and Kim Beom for “Boys Over Flowers.”
Concert Gone Wrong
But other Korean artists are not as lucky. An unidentified Korean idol group was marketed by a Chinese entertainment company, but the Chinese government did not approve of their performance. Tickets were sold for the concert one month before the event, but because of the refusal by the Chinese government of the concert, the entertainment company was fined $14,460 and ordered to refund those who purchased tickets at double the original price, Digital Music News reported.
Lee Jim-Seong, chief of King Kong by Starship, said that because of the political row over the THAAD, the company has not earned anything from China, and although the firm receives queries for advertisements until the end of 2016, it did not sign any contract at all. Meanwhile, PSY – who gained fame for “Gangnam Style” reaching 1 billion hits on YouTube – and Hwang Chi-yeol are allowed to appear on Chinese shows, but their faces are blurred out.
The situation is expected to worsen since the U.S. started deploying the first part of the THAAD missiles in South Korea on March 7, BBC reported.
