China has officially responded to the controversy created by popular Kpop band member RM while delivering Van Fleet Award acceptance speech. The speech had led to Chinese people slamming BTS for praising the US in separating South Korea from North Korea while degrading China for supporting the latter. Here is how China reacted to the controversy.
Deputy Director of Foreign Ministry Information Department of the People's Republic of China, Zhao Li Jian, addressed the issue but did not attack BTS, shocking the Chinese citizens. "I have taken into account the relevant articles and reports, and also noticed the reactions from Chinese netizens. I want to say that we should learn from history, look towards the future, value love and peace, promote friendship and these should be our common goals. These are worth us joining hands in hard work," he said.
This has not been received well by Chinese patriots who have expressed their anger on social media site Weibo. Some netizens expressed disappointment and stated that China does not have to side with the Korean point of view.
"We already gave them enough ego by having our Foreign Affairs department respond."
"Not bad, they're on the radar now."
"Dad, you're treating them too highly. There's no need to respond," read some of the comments.
What Did RM's Speech Say?
The bone of the contention is that RM indirectly praised the US for helping them during the Korean War. "We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of countless men and women. After seventy years, the world we are living in is much closer than before, and boundaries and many aspects are getting more blurry than before. As members of the global community, we should build deeper understanding and solidarity to be happier together," RM said during the speech.
Though he did not mention the US or China during the speech, Chinese fans interpreted it as BTS mocking China for supporting North Korea. Chinese netizens claimed that it was unfair of BTS not to mention the sacrifices of thousands of Chinese soldiers during the war.
The rage against BTS on Weibo led to FILA and Samsung China deleting all product content related to BTS from their official websites. However, despite the ruckus, neither BTS nor their agency Big Hit Entertainment has reacted on the issue. BTS just completed its second day of Map Of The Soul On:E concert on October 12.
