Chinese Netizens Backlash Over BTS Award Speech Reaction, Facing Counterattack... "Attacking Innocent Remarks"

FT: "Chinese Nationalism Poses Threat to Foreign Brands"

On the 7th (local time), at the Van Fleet Award ceremony held online by the Korea Society, a US-based Korea-US friendship nonprofit foundation, the group BTS delivered their acceptance speech. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Some Chinese netizens who criticized the group BTS for mentioning the 70th anniversary of the Korean War at an awards ceremony as "remarks that ignore China's sacrifices" are instead facing backlash from around the world. On social networking services (SNS), hashtags like "ChinaNazi" (China + Nazi) comparing these Chinese netizens' behavior to German Nazis have also appeared.

Earlier on the 7th (local time), BTS leader RM (real name Kim Namjoon) mentioned at the U.S. "Ben Flitt Award" ceremony, "This year's event is especially meaningful as it marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War." The Ben Flitt Award is presented annually by the Korea Society, a U.S. nonprofit organization, to individuals or groups who have contributed to Korea-U.S. friendship.

At the ceremony, RM said, "We will forever remember the history of hardship our two nations endured together and the sacrifices of countless men and women."

Some Chinese netizens took issue with the term "our two nations," claiming it ignored the sacrifices of Chinese soldiers who participated in the Korean War. Some netizens even declared withdrawal from BTS's fan club, "Army," and domestic companies such as Samsung Electronics and Hyundai Motor removed BTS-related advertisements from Chinese online shopping malls.

However, these actions by Chinese netizens have instead triggered a backlash. Media outlets in countries like the U.S. and the U.K. have criticized the movement within China, and voices of opposition are growing even within the Army fan community.

On the 12th, the U.S. media outlet The New York Times reported, "Chinese netizens attacked BTS's innocent remarks."

The British media outlet Financial Times also reported on the same day, "In the past, China has launched boycotts against foreign companies for similar reasons," noting that due to this backlash, Korean brands like Samsung removed BTS-related advertisements from Chinese platforms. It pointed out, "This movement reveals the risks foreign brands face in China, where nationalism is rampant."

One netizen wrote on Twitter, "Why should Koreans be expected to care about China's feelings?" and added, "China helped North Korea in the Korean War, while the U.S. led the United Nations forces and fought for Korea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.