Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
BTS Makes Award Speech in Remembrance of Shared History in Korean War. Mainland Netizens Say Award Commemorates US Army in the War, Decry Speech as Insulting and Ask BTS to Leave China
Bangtan Boys (BTS), a world-famous K-pop boy band with a huge following, received the James A. Van Fleet Award last Wednesday (Oct 7) for their contributions to promoting US-Korea relations. In their award speech, members mentioned the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, saying, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.” The speech attracted criticisms from mainland netizens, who stated through Weibo that it insulted China, some even commented, “Go away, BTS has died”. The post in question received 1.66 million likes and 36 thousand comments.
The James A. Van Fleet Award was organised by US non-profit organisation The Korea Society and established in 1995 in commemoration of James A. Van Fleet, Commander of the US Eighth Army during the Korean War and Founder of the organisation. The award is mainly given to persons or organisations that promoted US-Korea relations. The award ceremony this year was held online last Wednesday, during which the BTS was given the award for their musical achievements, influence on fans globally and promotion of US-Korea relations. During the award speech, the group’s leader Kim Nam-joon (RM) mentioned that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which gave special significance to the organisation’s annual gala this year. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women. After 70 years, the world we are living in is much closer than before, and boundaries in many aspects are getting more blurred.” Kim’s speech did not specify the two nations mentioned.
Source: Stand News #Oct11
#Korea #US #China #Weibo #BTS #AwardCeremony #TheKoreanSociety #JamesAVanFleetAward
https://bit.ly/2GVLPLM
Bangtan Boys (BTS), a world-famous K-pop boy band with a huge following, received the James A. Van Fleet Award last Wednesday (Oct 7) for their contributions to promoting US-Korea relations. In their award speech, members mentioned the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, saying, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.” The speech attracted criticisms from mainland netizens, who stated through Weibo that it insulted China, some even commented, “Go away, BTS has died”. The post in question received 1.66 million likes and 36 thousand comments.
The James A. Van Fleet Award was organised by US non-profit organisation The Korea Society and established in 1995 in commemoration of James A. Van Fleet, Commander of the US Eighth Army during the Korean War and Founder of the organisation. The award is mainly given to persons or organisations that promoted US-Korea relations. The award ceremony this year was held online last Wednesday, during which the BTS was given the award for their musical achievements, influence on fans globally and promotion of US-Korea relations. During the award speech, the group’s leader Kim Nam-joon (RM) mentioned that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which gave special significance to the organisation’s annual gala this year. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women. After 70 years, the world we are living in is much closer than before, and boundaries in many aspects are getting more blurred.” Kim’s speech did not specify the two nations mentioned.
Source: Stand News #Oct11
#Korea #US #China #Weibo #BTS #AwardCeremony #TheKoreanSociety #JamesAVanFleetAward
https://bit.ly/2GVLPLM
Forwarded from 📡Guardians of Hong Kong
Samsung, FILA and Hyundai Have Removed BTS-Related Posts and Ads from Chinese Websites and Social Media after the K-Pop Boy Band’s ‘Controversial’ Speech Outraged Chinese Netizens
Chinese netizens are outraged by BTS, the K-pop boy band global sensation, over the mentioning of the Korean War in an award-acceptance speech earlier. Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department, stated that he was aware of the related reports and the responses from netizens. The South Korean company Samsung has since removed products launched in conjunction with BTS from online stores in China. The car manufacturer Hyundai and the sports brand FILA have also removed posts related to BTS on their Chinese social media accounts.
Samsung has launched a special edition series of mobile phones and earphones with BTS this July. However, the products are no longer available on Chinese shopping websites JD.com, Tmall and Samsung’s official Chinese website after online dispute of BTS arose. Hyundai and FILA, which have invited BTS to endorse their products, have also removed all BTS-related posts from their official Weibo accounts earlier.
When a journalist asked about the Chinese netizens’ outrage on BTS at a regular press conference hosted by Zhao Lijian, he answered, "I am aware of the related reports, as well as the responses from Chinese netizens. We should learn from history, face the future, treasure peace and promote friendship. These are the things that we should pursue together, worthy to strive for together."
During the acceptance speech of the General James A. Van Fleet Award, an award granted to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of US-Korean relations, BTS’s leader RM said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of the countless men and women.” This single sentence had apparently outraged Chinese netizens, despite the fact that China was not mentioned in the speech at all.
#China #BTS #ChineseNetizens #ZhaoLijian #Samsung #Hyundai #FILA #SocialMedia
Source: Stands News #Oct13
https://bit.ly/3o0D8Ro
Chinese netizens are outraged by BTS, the K-pop boy band global sensation, over the mentioning of the Korean War in an award-acceptance speech earlier. Zhao Lijian, the spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department, stated that he was aware of the related reports and the responses from netizens. The South Korean company Samsung has since removed products launched in conjunction with BTS from online stores in China. The car manufacturer Hyundai and the sports brand FILA have also removed posts related to BTS on their Chinese social media accounts.
Samsung has launched a special edition series of mobile phones and earphones with BTS this July. However, the products are no longer available on Chinese shopping websites JD.com, Tmall and Samsung’s official Chinese website after online dispute of BTS arose. Hyundai and FILA, which have invited BTS to endorse their products, have also removed all BTS-related posts from their official Weibo accounts earlier.
When a journalist asked about the Chinese netizens’ outrage on BTS at a regular press conference hosted by Zhao Lijian, he answered, "I am aware of the related reports, as well as the responses from Chinese netizens. We should learn from history, face the future, treasure peace and promote friendship. These are the things that we should pursue together, worthy to strive for together."
During the acceptance speech of the General James A. Van Fleet Award, an award granted to those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of US-Korean relations, BTS’s leader RM said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of the countless men and women.” This single sentence had apparently outraged Chinese netizens, despite the fact that China was not mentioned in the speech at all.
#China #BTS #ChineseNetizens #ZhaoLijian #Samsung #Hyundai #FILA #SocialMedia
Source: Stands News #Oct13
https://bit.ly/3o0D8Ro