BTS Under Fire In China After Making Comment On Korean War

BTS is facing backlash in China after one of its members made a comment on the Korean War at an awards ceremony on Monday. In his remark, K-pop group member RM cited South Korea’s solidarity with the U.S., sparking outrage in China.

South Korea and the U.S. fought alongside each other during the Korean War between 1950 and 1953. China sent aid to fortify the North Korean forces during the way, which ended in an armistice agreement but not a peace treaty.

While accepting an award for BTS’ contribution to the U.S.-South Korea relations, BTS member RM mentioned the “history of pain” shared by the U.S. and South Korea when they fought against China during the war. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women,” he said.

The remark was quick to ignite a barrage of criticism on social media, especially from Chinese fans who thought the statement was a swipe at China. On Twitter and Weibo, Chinese netizens demanded an end to BTS’ commercial interests in China, where the Korean boy group has an estimated 5 million followers.

“They should not make any money from China,” one angry Twitter user said. “If you want to make money from Chinese fans you have to consider Chinese feelings.”

“There were thousands of Chinese soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war, so I decided to be angry and quit the boy band’s fan club to express my clear attitude,” another Chinese fan wrote.

As the outrage escalated, Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com took down posts featuring BTS special edition smartphones and earphones, which are manufactured by the South Korean tech giant Samsung. Fashion brand Fila and South Korean automaker Hyundai also removed all BTS-related posts from their respective official Weibo accounts.

“Chinese netizens said the band’s totally one-sided attitude to the Korean war hurts their feelings and negates history,” wrote Chinese newspaper Global Times in a tweet. The newspaper also described the U.S. as an aggressor in the Korean War.