Bangkok Post – Chinese K-pop fans turn to Hong Kong to evade S. Korean content ban [Video]

HONG KONG – With the relationship between China and South Korea strained in recent years, Korean popular (K-pop) music fans in mainland China have been flocking to Hong Kong to evade Beijing’s unofficial ban on South Korean cultural content.

Over the past year, the semiautonomous Chinese region has hosted a variety of K-pop concerts and events, including major music festival K-CON and performances by idol groups SHINee and F.T. Island.

In early September, thousands of dedicated fans from across China attended a concert of K-pop group Super Junior in Hong Kong, showing an unwavering commitment to their idols even as the city battled the second-strongest tropical cyclone in the world this year.

“Can they come to Shanghai? The last time I saw you was when I was still a student, and now I’m working. When will I be able to see you all?” one Chinese fan asked in a social …