Boy band BTS hit by Chinese nationalist backlash over Korean war comments
- Internet users react with fury after singer RM says group remembers shared ‘sacrifice’ with US in conflict where China fought on opposite side
- Major brands including Samsung and Hyundai drop K-pop group from online adverts after it is accused of not considering Chinese people’s feelings
K-pop group BTS has been hit by a Chinese nationalist backlash for comments made about the Korean war, prompting some major brands to drop references to the band in online advertising.
Internet users were angered after the boy band’s leader RM told an awards ceremony that the South Korean band would always remember the country’s “history of pain” and shared “sacrifices” with the United States.
The war began 70 years ago when North Korea invaded the South. A US-led coalition then joined the conflict on the side of the South, pushing the North’s troops back to the Chinese border, which prompted China to intervene on behalf of its communist ally.
The conflict, which went on for three years, is officially known in China as the “the war to resist US aggression and aid Korea”.
The comments, made last week at an awards ceremony staged by the New York non-profit Korea Society, triggered heated debate on social media in China.
