TWICE member Tzuyu and JYP Entertainment have recently become the subject of controversy in China due to a short clip aired on the MBC variety show "My Little Television."
During the clip, Tzuyu, who is from Taiwan, was shown waving a Taiwanese flag. This has drawn criticisms from the Chinese public, who believe that Tzuyu supports Taiwanese independence.
The topic of whether Taiwan is part of China is hotly debated in both countries. Although some believe that Taiwan is an independent nation, others content that Taiwan still belongs to China.
Chinese singer-songwriter Huang An spread the clip and photos of the incident on social media, causing Tzuyu to trend on the Chinese social media site Weibo.
Since then, TWICE's promotions in China have been heavily affected. According to No Cut News, the members are being censored on Chinese TV programs and the group has been uninvited from the special Lunar New Year episode of Chinese TV program "Choon Wan."
Tzuyu's endorsement deal with China's Huawei has also been reported to be canceled due to the controversy.
In response, JYP Entertainment, the Korean record label that houses Tzuyu and the other members of TWICE, issued a press release about the controversy on Jan. 14.
"Recently, false online rumors about Tzuyu have been spreading online," the statement began. "We, as an entertainment company, have always done our utmost to promote positive relationships between Korea and China. The company (including Tzuyu) has never discussed anything related to Chinese politics."
"Unfortunately, the person involved is a 16-year-old minor, who is too young to form her own political views," JYP continued. "However, due to the rumors, JYP has been affected in China and our partners have been inconvenienced."
"Until this issue is resolved, we have decided to suspend all of Tzuyu's activities in China," the company concluded.
Usually, K-pop celebrities from Taiwan or Hong Kong state that they are from China-Hong Kong or China-Taiwan to avoid controversy.
