China has aired a South Korean drama on its official platforms, marking the first such broadcast in six years.

The Korean Cultural Center in China said "Saimdang, Memoir of Colors" was aired on the Hunan TV channel and online Mango TV from Tuesday.

Korean drama series have not been broadcast on official platforms since mid-2016, following Beijing's protest of Seoul's decision to deploy a U.S. missile defense system.

Last month, "Oh! My Gran" became the first South Korean film to be released in China in six years.

Facing the prospect that the ban on Korean cultural content could be lifted, some noted that "Saimdang, Memoirs of Color," which aired in Korea in 2017, had already passed Chinese media authorities' deliberations six years ago before the ban. 

No other Korean drama is known to have been approved since the cultural ban was stepped up.