Amidst criticism from China over BTS member RM's speech from the Van Fleet Awards over his usage of the "two nations" phrase, it has been reported that a Chinese netizen who was seen using a BTS phone case was beaten up on the street.
On Weibo, China's version of Twitter, a user shared a screenshot of a WeChat conservation on October 13, Tuesday, in which a BTS fan claimed they were assaulted and discriminated against for simply being a fan of the K-pop group.
The screenshot claims they had fractured their ribs and suffered severe injuries to the face after being repeatedly punched. The beating was so bad, the ARMY requires hospital treatment for a month or more.
However, it has yet to be confirmed whether the story is actually true. Despite the lack of proof, Chinese netizens did not hold back. There were many comments under the post that claimed she deserved it, with many saying "You still like BTS, so they were right to beat you."
On October 8, Thursday, it was announced that BTS had won the Van Fleet Award for their contributions to the development of U.S.-South Korean relations. Each year, the awards is given to a group or individuals who have contributed to the betterments U.S.-South Korean relations. BTS is the only K-pop groups this year to have received the award.
The boys gave a heartwarming speech during the event, in which they talked about how music has the ability to unite others and they hope their music continues to link people all over the world. However, part of RM's speech sparked an issue with Chinese netizens, as they interpreted it as an insult towards them.
During his speech, RM said in English, "We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women." This part, according to Chinese netizens, was seen as disrespectful to China's fallen soldiers, who had sacrificed their lives during the Korean War. During the War, China had sided with North Korea and the Soviet Union, and their soldiers had lost their lives.
Due to the backlash, BTS received over the statements, FILA China and Samsung China deleted all of their BTS content. Samsung China removed the products BTS were endorsing and FILA China deleted its recent posts with BTS on their Weibo.
Despite the backlash, there are still others who are confused as to why BTS is being slammed this badly. Many have defended RM and BTS, saying that it makes sense he is talking about South Korea and the United States, as they are attending an event concerning the two countries.
As the controversy continued to rise in China, the deputy director of the Foreign Ministry information Department of the People's Republic of China gave a statement regarding BTS's speech, in which he spoke about the need to learn about history and to promote love, peace, and friendship.
