BEIJING, Dec. 3 (Yonhap) -- Expectations are growing for Beijing lifting its ban on "hallyu" as Korean films are starting to be released in China, six years after the diplomatic dispute between Seoul and Beijing over the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system called THAAD, followed by popular K-pop boy group EXO's decision to attend China's largest music award.

EXO members Kai and Sehun will perform on stage for the 3rd Tencent Music Entertainment Awards (TMEA) on behalf of the whole group on Dec. 11, according to the official account of the Tencent Music Awards (TMA) on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

After releasing an EXO poster on Weibo, TMEA announced that EXO will participate in the event online through VCR.

Tencent Music Entertainment Group, one of China's largest music companies, hosts the largest music awards show in China at the end of the year.

In regards to EXO's scheduled appearance at the TMEA, some Chinese netizens responded by saying, "Does this mean the Chinese government ban on Hallyu has been lifted?"

After Seoul and Washington agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in 2016, Beijing has taken retaliatory steps against South Korean companies and products in various areas, including a blanket ban on Korean cultural exports like concerts and TV dramas, as well as TV stars appearing on Chinese TV shows.

Some artists have attended individual events such as fan signing events for promotions, but have not been able to stand on stage for music awards in China.

The only Korean singer to be on the official stage was Hallyu star Rain, known as Jeong Ji-hoon in Korean, attended the Asian Culture Carnival, an event affiliated with the 1st Conference on Dialogue of Asian Civilizations held in Beijing in May 2019.

However, at that time, Rain did not perform solo but rather appear on stage with other Chinese stars.

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