Hong Kong's Joshua Wong "Supports BTS... Criticizes Chinese Netizens for Nitpicking"

Chinese Nationalist Youth Netizen Sobunhong Utilized in Propaganda Campaign
Major Companies Need to Consider Diversification Beyond Chinese Market

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Hong Kong democracy activist Joshua Wong criticized Chinese netizens' nitpicking of the boy band BTS and expressed concerns about Chinese nationalism.

On the 14th, Wong said on his Twitter account, "Behind the BTS incident, there are worrying signs of rising Chinese nationalism and conflicts between China and other countries."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He diagnosed, "Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), it has become difficult to predict which issues will trigger Chinese nationalists' nerves, increasing political uncertainty."

He also pointed out that it is essential for companies to consider diversifying their markets to avoid risks caused by excessive dependence on the Chinese market. This appears to be a remark referring to Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor Company, and Fila withdrawing BTS advertisements amid criticism from Chinese netizens.

He accused China's propaganda authorities and 'sobunhong' (nationalist young netizens) of turning trivial matters into propaganda campaigns and inciting baseless anger and division.

Wong also stated on the 12th that he supports BTS amid unreasonable attacks by Chinese malicious commenters.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

BTS leader RM, on the 7th (local time), during his acceptance speech for the 'Van Fleet Award' presented by the Korea Society, a U.S.-Korea friendship nonprofit foundation, said, "This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War," and "We will always remember the shared painful history and the sacrifices of countless men and women" between the two countries (South Korea and the U.S.). There was no mention of China.

Regarding this statement, China's state-run Global Times reported Chinese netizens' reactions saying, "BTS does not know well the history of 'Resist America, Aid Korea' and disrespects Chinese soldiers who sacrificed in the war, insulting China," which sparked a heated response.

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