On October 13, Tuesday, it was confirmed that the entire duration of BTS's latest online concert, which was held over the weekend, was illegally downloaded and distributed online in China.
On the 13th, Star News reported that the entirety of BTS's online concert, "BTS MAP OF THE SOUL: ON:E", was being distributed on bilibili site, which has been dubbed as the Chinese version of YouTube.
The video was published on October 12, Monday, a day prior to the reporting. The video contains all two and a half hours of BTS's concert on both days. On the website, you can easily search for the video by searching for "BTS". The video will show up on the first page of the results.
As of October 13, 7:00 p.m. KST, the number of views on the video has exceeded 20,000 views. In regard to the illegal distribution of their online concert, Big Hit Entertainment told Star News that they will "look into the issue".
Many people have criticized Chinese netizens for illegally distributing the video. Currently, BTS is in hot water for their speech during the Van Fleet Award. Despite that, people are still searching and watching the video of BTS's online concert. Korean netizens claim that them watching the concert does not match up with their current opinions of BTS.
On October 8, Thursday, it was announced that BTS had won the Van Fleet Award. The award is given annually to a group or individual that has helped the betterment of U.S.-South Korean relations. BTS was the only K-pop group to receive the award this year and are the youngest recipients of the award in Van Fleet history.
The boys of BTS had recorded a speech to show their thanks for the award. Many had thought that the speech was heartwarming, as they spoke about music connecting people and hoping their music continues to link people around the world.
However, many Chinese netizens had a problem with RM's statement. During the speech, RM acknowledged that this year's gala had a special meaning, as it was the 70th anniversary of the Korean War. With that, he acknowledged the sacrifices of both the United States and South Korea and how many men and women had sacrificed their lives for the war.
Many Chinese netizens found RM's comments insensitive. During the Korean War, China had sided with North Korea and the Soviet Union, with several Chinese soldiers and civilians losing their lives in the war. Chinese netizens slammed RM for being disrespectful to China's fallen soldiers.
However, many non-Chinese BTS fans claim BTS does not deserve the backlash. They defended the group, saying it makes sense that RM would speak about the United States and South Korea, as it is an event concerning the two countries. Many pointed out that RM never even mentioned China.
Following the backlash, Samsung China removed the products BTS is endorsing from their website and social media. FILA China deleted all recent posts on their Weibo in which BTS is a part of. China's Foreign Affairs Ministry had also spoken up about the controversy, in which they promoted learning about history and moving forward with love, peace, and friendship.
