The group EPEX's concert in China has been suddenly postponed due to local circumstances.
EPEX's agency C9 Entertainment announced on their official SNS on the 9th, "The '2025 EPEX Concert: Youth Deficiency' scheduled to be held on May 31 at 'MAAQUU X CH8 LIVEHOUSE' in Fuzhou has been inevitably postponed due to local circumstances." They added, "We are discussing the changed concert schedule and venue, and will notify you as soon as it is confirmed."
Previously, C9 Entertainment had announced that all members, who are Korean nationals, would hold their first solo concert in about nine years since the ban on Korean cultural content.
C9 Entertainment expressed their expectations, stating, "We are also discussing holding solo concerts in other regions of China," and "EPEX has emerged as a new leader in the K-pop wave in China, being the first idol group composed entirely of Koreans to cross the continent."
The fact that a K-pop group is holding a commercial concert locally is drawing attention as it is the first in nine years since the ban was imposed in 2016. However, the sudden postponement of the concert has led to industry reactions questioning whether the ban's lifting is premature.
Previously, the Korean rock band Say Sue Me announced a concert in Beijing last July, but it was suddenly canceled three weeks before the event. There are speculations that the somewhat negative public opinion and media interest in China regarding Korea may have influenced the concert's cancellation.
However, the possibility of lifting the ban still remains. At the end of last year and in January this year, Korean singer-songwriter Black Skirt received permission to perform in Wuhan, Hubei Province, and Zhengzhou, Henan Province, while singer Homi also held local performances, generating positive responses regarding the entry of K-pop artists into China.
This EPEX concert is also not definitively canceled, suggesting that the possibility of lifting the ban still exists.
According to a C9 representative, EPEX is currently discussing the concert schedule and venue with local production companies in China.
