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Image source,fake images
On the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War (Korean War), the speech of a member of the South Korean men’s music group BTS (Bulletproof Youth League) turned this influential group in the world into a vortex in China. .
In a speech, the team’s captain, Kim Nam-joon (stage name: RM), mentioned the “painful history” that South Korea and the United States experienced in this war. From 1950 to 1953, South Korea and the United States served as allies and fought together against North Korea.
However, because China strongly supported North Korea in this war and viewed it as a defense war to “fight American aggression,” Kim Nam-jun’s remarks angered many Chinese netizens.
Like many brands and entertainment stars who have caused “anti-China” controversies in China before, the controversy quickly spread to the commercial level, and many products related to the combination were removed from the shelves in China.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea have responded separately to this matter. But compared to the anger between the people, the two countries have expressed more restraint at the official level that they should “promote friendship.”
“Remember the suffering”
On October 7, BTS just won an award commending them for promoting relations between the United States and South Korea. It was at the award ceremony that Kim Namjun made controversial comments.
Summarizing at the award ceremony held online, Kim Nam-jun said, “This year’s Korean Association gala is very significant, because this year marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War. We will always remember the history of suffering shared by both countries and the sacrifices of countless men and women.
Image source,EPA
Kim Nam Joon (second from right) is the director of BTS BTS.
“70 years later, our world is closer than ever and many borders have become blurred. As a member of the international community, we must build a deeper understanding and unity in order to be happier. In order to achieve this goal, BTS always the significance of the Van Fleet award will be remembered, “he added.
The Van Fleet Award is an award established by the American non-profit organization “The Korea Society” in 1995. It is named after General James A. Van Fleet, who founded the organization. Korean or American who contributed.
General Van Fleet commanded the Eighth Army in South Korea during the Korean War. He founded the Korea Association to promote relations between the United States and South Korea after his son, as an Air Force pilot, was killed in the war.
Cause controversy
Many Korean idol groups have a large number of fans in China, and Bangtan Boys is no exception as one of the most successful groups. On Weibo alone, BTS has over 5.5 million followers.
But Jin Nanjun’s comments were immediately criticized by many Chinese netizens. They believe that the “two countries” referred to by Kim Nam-joon refer to South Korea and the United States, and point out that China is a victim of this war.
“There is no idol in front of the country! Obviously it is the American provocation first, have you considered the feelings of Chinese fans?” Commented a Weibo netizen.
Image source,Weibo
Jin Nanjun’s comments have been criticized by many Chinese netizens.
“We did not ask him to follow our position, but he cannot openly stand on our opposite side and return to China to collect money,” said Lin Lin, a 21-year-old netizen from Guangdong (in response to the interviewee’s request, using a pseudonym ) to BBC Chinese. .
He said he used to be a fan of the group, but now has “misplaced fans.” “Without us, where would China 100 million lose (album sales in China exceed 100 million yuan)?” He said. “If you want to make money, don’t get into politics.”
The official Chinese outlet Global Times reported that “Chinese netizens said that the group’s completely one-sided attitude towards the Korean War hurt their feelings and denied the story.” The report added that the speech was to “please” US netizens.
After the controversy broke out, the group has not yet responded directly to this, but products and advertisements related to the group of companies such as Samsung, Fila and Hyundai have disappeared on some Chinese websites or social networks. But it is not clear who removed these ads.
For example, on the Samsung website in China, it is difficult to find the custom purple version of the BTS mobile phone.
A few hours later, the official Weibo account of the Italian sports brand Fila’s post that mentioned BTS was also removed. The group was previously a brand ambassador for Fila.
Image source,fake images
BTS’s fan club in China announced that it will stop purchasing the group’s latest album and will issue a refund. Some angry netizens also asked Chinese music websites to remove the group’s works.
Compared to the fierce response from private and commercial brands, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian responded to the matter relatively quietly at a press conference on Monday (October 12). He said: “Taking history as a mirror, looking to the future, appreciating peace and promoting friendship should be our common pursuit and worthy of our joint efforts.”
The South Korean Foreign Ministry also responded on Tuesday, stating that the South Korean government “remains concerned” about this matter and said it will continue its efforts to develop relations between South Korea and China and promote friendship between. South Korea and China in the future.
Scandalize?
The seven-member BTS is popular all over the world and has broken many records. Earlier this year, his single “Dynamite” became the most viewed video on YouTube in 24 hours, with 101.1 million views per day.
The controversy occurred at the time when Big-Hit Entertainment (Big-Hit-Entertainment), BTS’s brokerage company, was planning to go public in Seoul. The valuation of the company is expected to reach US $ 4 billion (£ 3 billion).
Currently, it is difficult to predict what impact this incident will have on the development of BTS in China.
On Twitter, some people have different points of view, saying that Kim Nam-joon “only speaks from the perspective of a Korean” and did not mention China. Some Korean netizens also expressed solidarity with the group, accusing Chinese netizens of “making a fuss”.
Image source,fake images
It has been 70 years since the Korean War, in the United States it was a “forgotten war” and in China it was a “Resistance to US Aggression and Aid to Korea.”
Antoine Bondaz, an expert on North and South Korea at the Politburo University in Paris, told BBC Chinese that BTS’s comments can quickly cause such a storm on social media, which is a manifestation of “increasing politicization.” of the teaching of Chinese history.
He said that while Chinese officials appear to be more cautious at the moment, this is essentially using netizens’ comments to strengthen nationalist narratives. “I think that many Chinese netizens do not even know the true history of the Korean War, or even that it was not the United States that initiated the attack,” he said.
The 25th of this month will soon be the 70th anniversary of the Chinese army mission to North Korea. It is reported that China will hold commemorative activities. The Korean War broke out shortly after the end of World War II. Approximately 200,000 South Korean soldiers and 36,000 American soldiers, as well as hundreds of thousands of civilians, were killed in this war. According to official Chinese data, 180,000 volunteers from China died in the war, but the Pentagon estimates that this number may reach 400,000.
70 years have passed since this war, in the United States it was a “forgotten war”, in China it was a “resistance to the aggression of the United States and aid to Korea”, and in the Korean peninsula, the scars caused by this war still they have not healed.
Strictly speaking, the participating parties in 1953 only signed the Armistice Agreement and not the peace agreement. South Korean President Moon Jae-in still expressed the hope that South Korea and the United States would jointly announce the official end of the Korean War earlier this month.
Red line
For international brands and celebrities operating in China, touching the red line of the Chinese government or consumers can only be overnight.
Two months ago, Lee Hyo-ri, a female artist also from South Korea, said on a variety show that she wanted to use “Mao” as the character’s stage name, causing a large number of Chinese netizens to feel dissatisfied. . They believe this is an innuendo and disrespect for Mao Zedong, the founding leader of the Communist Party of China.
Image source,Weibo
Versace was found in clothing sold in 2019, suspected of listing Taiwan and Hong Kong as separate countries, which was met with widespread resistance from Chinese netizens.
Last year, the general manager of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, Daryl Morey (Daryl Morey) posted on Twitter to express his support for the Hong Kong anti-government protesters, prompting resistance from Chinese netizens. Chinese state media immediately announced the suspension of NBA games and did not resume broadcasting until this month.
In 2018, the Italian luxury brand Dolce & Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana) released an advertisement widely regarded as racist stereotypes, sparking public outrage. Many Chinese celebrities refused to attend the brand’s fashion show.
The three international fashion brands Coach, Versace and Givenchy were also found to be in the clothes sold in 2019. They are suspected of including Taiwan and Hong Kong as separate countries. Large-scale resistance from Internet users.
