ED China's 'hallyu' ban

Korea’s classical musicians targeted as well

First, there was unconfirmed news that K-pop artists, those adorable groups of singers whom the Chinese couldn’t get enough of, were blacklisted by Beijing. Then, heartthrobs like Song Joong-ki, the male lead in the drama series “The Descendants of the Sun,” had difficulty going on a China tour to thank tens of millions for watching his show on the internet.

Now, the Chinese ban on hallyu, or the Korean wave, has reached the classical music field.

Korea’s best-known soprano, Grammy-winning Sumi Jo, has seen her scheduled performances with three Chinese orchestras canceled suddenly and without explanation. Chinese sponsors also canceled Korean pianist Paik Kun-woo’s concerts with no explanation as well.

These are China’s retaliatory moves aimed at putting pressure on Korea to rescind its decision to deploy a U.S. missile interceptor, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, on its soil. If there is any question, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi helped clear it, when he told a delegation of opposition lawmakers the pressure would be reduced only if Korea dropped the plan. Korean firms in China have also been harassed for a while.

China’s behavior is nothing short of a brazen bullying act, reminiscent of the Cultural Revolution led by Mao Zedong. The haphazardness and cruelty by which the Chinese leader killed millions of Chinese rubs off on an all-out effort to force Korea into submission. The stench of Mao’s mouth that is said to have never been cleaned in his life has gotten into Xi Jinping’s policy of seeking hegemony at whatever cost, his anti-hallyu policy included. What is being exposed is Xi’s world of alternative facts, or lies -- getting confrontational with the United States and blindly protecting its own businesses, while saying his country is for peace and a supporter of free trade. Mao’s China lived isolated behind the “bamboo curtain” and Xi is obviously trying to put today’s China into the anachronistic straitjacket.

Now, how should Korea react to China’s aggression?

True, the best solution is that China comes to see the rationale in Korea’s suggestion that THAAD is a defensive system against North Korea’s growing missile threats so when these are eased, the anti-missile battery will be removed and sent back to the U.S. China is criticized for not exerting its influence on the North and letting the renegade country grow as a military threat in the region.

China is Korea’s biggest trading partner with millions of Chinese tourists serving as key customers for the tourism industry. It should bear in mind that any collapse in bilateral relations will be detrimental to China’s interests as well.

It’s time to show Beijing the country has a backbone and find ways of giving China the message about our determination. For that, one often has to brace for the worst and take it all the way.