Beijing will begin to more strictly regulate South Korean TV shows airing in China, according to industry insiders. This latest move aims to strengthen China’s control over artistic output rather ban South Korean stars outright. However, some Hong Kong media outlets have speculated that the regulation is actually intended as a response to Seoul’s decision to deploy THAAD, an American-made missile defense system, on the Korean peninsula.

Soon after the regulatory measure was passed by SARFT, China’s broadcast regulator, it came into effect. Industry insiders said the areas where stars would face greater scrutiny include scripted TV programs and movies, as well as reality TV shows, commercials and endorsements.

A concert by EXO, a popular South Korean musical group, originally scheduled for the end of August in Shanghai, has reportedly been cancelled. Youku Tudou, one of the country’s video streaming sites that imports a lot of Korean content, cancelled a Korean TV drama fan meeting on Aug. 3, just three days before it was supposed to occur. Youku Tudou published a statement on Weibo, citing “force majeure” as the reason for cancellation.

Chinese netizens so far seem to support the new regulation. The topic generated 1.3 million posts on Weibo, including many that took the form of “apologies” to Korean idols; a number of Chinese netizens told the Korean idols that they could no longer continue their fandom because they placed love for their country before love of celebrities. Others disagreed, saying patriotism has nothing to do with banning K-pop stars and calling on their fellow citizens to love China more rationally.

Statistics from South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism show that the Korean cultural and creative industry has become the second largest and most valuable secondary industry in the country. China, meanwhile, is the biggest export market for South Korean TV and music. Chinese producers and broadcasters are often in fierce competition to buy Korean intellectual property, from comics to movies.