BTS member Suga has recently stirred the pot with his candid remarks about the Hallyu ban.

During a live broadcast on the fan platform Weverse, Suga indirectly mentioned the Hallyu ban (Korean Wave restriction) in response to a fan's request for a tour in China. Currently, Suga is meeting with fans around the world through his solo world tour, "Suga D-Day Tour."

Suga queried, "How can I tour China when I can't perform there? Are there any Korean singers performing in China right now?"

He further added, "I'd love to perform anywhere there are ARMYs (the fandom name). It's disheartening for me. I've seen cases where K-pop groups have members from Korea, China, and other countries, and the members of other nationalities can work in China, but the team cannot. I don't know why that is, but that's the way it is."

He voiced his longing, saying, "I really want to go to China since it's been so long since I last visited, but there's no way for Korean singers to work there."

China imposed a Hallyu ban in 2016, in retaliation against the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) by the US military in South Korea. This has barred Korean content or content featuring Korean entertainers, including advertisements, from being broadcast in China. Since then, Korean movies have been unable to premiere in China, and K-pop groups with Korean members have been unable to perform on stage.

Last month, there were incidents such as Jung Yong-hwa suddenly canceling his appearance on a new audition program on the Chinese video platform iQiyi, and the release of a blacklist of Chinese-speaking celebrities who attended BLACKPINK's concert. Also, local Chinese media have speculated that actress Choo Ja-hyun was eliminated from a girl group audition survival show in China, suggesting the possibility of the influence of the Hallyu ban.

As concerns and criticism mount with the worsening of the Hallyu ban, Suga's honest stance has been garnering public support and endorsement.

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