SEOUL, Nov. 3 (Yonhap) -- Major fast-food chains in China are increasingly turning to popular South Korean K-pop stars for marketing, expanding their use of Korean Wave content in the Chinese market.

On Nov. 2, KFC China posted a promotional message on its official Weibo channel for a new hamburger, the "YO! Creamy Spicy Chicken Burger," featuring South Korean idol group NCT DREAM as models.

KFC China described the product as "combining Korean-style spiciness with the flavor of cream cheese" and said it is conducting "K-spicy" marketing in connection with NCT DREAM's activities.

"YO" is reminiscent of NCT DREAM's signature slogan "YO! DREAM" and is also known as a symbolic phrase among the group's fans.

KFC China said it will give away limited-edition photo cards featuring NCT DREAM members to customers who purchase the new product starting Nov. 9. It also unveiled chicken burger packaging designed in connection with the group's new album.

NCT DREAM is scheduled to release its sixth full-length album, "DREAM AFTER DREAM," on the same day.

Previously, McDonald's China also drew attention last month with a large-scale marketing campaign featuring G-DRAGON of BIGBANG.

Starting Oct. 8, McDonald's China offered eight limited-edition products developed in collaboration with G-DRAGON at more than 8,000 stores across China and transformed about 700 stores with special themes.

Sixteen flagship stores in major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen featured dedicated G-DRAGON-themed spaces, outdoor advertisements and interactive facilities, generating considerable buzz.

McDonald's collaboration with G-DRAGON was part of a campaign planned by McDonald's Korea and rolled out sequentially across 13 Asian markets.

In China, performances and television appearances by South Korean entertainers have effectively been restricted since 2016, when Beijing decided to deploy the U.S.-developed Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.

Although Chinese authorities have never officially acknowledged the existence of the so-called Hallyu ban, it has long been difficult to find cases of South Korean entertainers appearing in large-scale advertisements in major Chinese cities.

Against this backdrop, expectations are growing that marketing campaigns involving Korean Wave stars by local companies could become more active as major global food-service brands in China successively collaborate with K-pop stars.

However, some observers point out that commercial advertising by global companies and performances or television appearances by South Korean singers in China are separate matters, making it difficult to conclude from the recent cases alone that Chinese authorities have significantly eased restrictions related to the Korean Wave.

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