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China may take time to lift unofficial ban on Korean culture, South Korean official says

By Thomson Reuters Jan 4, 2026 | 8:33 PM

SEOUL, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Beijing is unlikely to lift its unofficial ban ‍on Korean culture anytime soon, South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said in a ‌radio interview on Monday.

South ‌Korean President Lee Jae Myung is on a state visit to China and is due ​to hold summit talks with Chinese President ‍Xi Jinping.

Kang ​said South Korea ​and China will sign preliminary ‍agreements in areas including supply chain and digital economy.

The two countries will promote cooperation in areas ‍such as supply chain investment, digital economy, startups, environment, climate ‍change, ‍human exchanges, tourism, ​and countering transnational ​crime, ⁠South Korean national security ‌adviser Wi Sung-lac said on Friday.

(Reporting by Jihoon Lee and Joyce Lee; Editing by Ed Davies and Sonali ⁠Paul)