World star Psy has been frequently spotted in Shanghai with his family, sparking speculation that he may move to China.

“Psy and his family often appear in Shanghai, so there was a rumor that they may move here,” a residence in the city was quoted as saying.

“Actually, he hasn’t moved here, at least, yet. I heard that he occasionally came to China to learn the culture and language. Even his children have been with him learning Chinese,” another residence was quoted as saying.

Hallyu experts said the Korean Wave has spread throughout China thanks to idol groups, but that combined with Psy’s popularity could create great synergy.

The world star topped Chinese SNS site Weibo in 2012 in just three months of creating an account. Psy had the most followers among Korean celebrities. Although his popularity was high in China, he had concentrated on his work in the U.S. at that time.

Psy’s management agency, YG Entertainment, is about to hold its first concert in China in October.

Psy’s possible activities there may be part of the entertainment agency’s strategy to advance into the Chinese market, after chief Yang Hyun-suk announced YG would dominate the fashion and entertainment markets there.

By Park Gyu-oh (q5park@heraldcorp.com)

[Photo Credit: SBS]