Korean stars are also increasing appearing in programs hosted by Chinese platform companies.

K-pop duo TVXQ attracted more than 10 million Chinese viewers on a recent live streaming on Weibo, while Park Hae-jin's "Cheese in the Trap," aired on the same platform, gained huge popularity in the country. Korean singer Hwang Chi-yeul rose to stardom in China following his appearance on "I Am a Singer," the Chinese version of the South Korean original singing competition show aired on Hunan TV.

Mnet's "Produce 101," a highly successful idol competition show, was made into a Chinese version reportedly by Tencent and garnered 2.3 billion views for the first four episodes.

Youku Tudou, China's biggest video streaming site, is set to air an idol competition show, tentatively titled "Twelve" and produced by a Korean production company, in October.

It is reported that China's online giants, such as Weibo, Tencent and Youku Tudou, have shown great interest in recent South Korean dramas and entertainment programs.

"A recent trend (in the Chinese market) indicates more South Korean content will be allowed in China as early as June, or in the second half of this year at the latest," an industry source told Yonhap News Agency. "If the ban gets eased, we expect discussions on drama exports to pick up steam."

Another source said, "When and if the ban on entertainment is lifted, the impact will spill over into other sectors like games and cosmetics." (Yonhap)