Recently, a Chinese tabloid media outlet, The Global Times, accused the Korean media of being the ones at fault for BTS's current controversy in China because of their remarks during their thank you speech for the Van Fleet Award.
The Global Times editor-in-chief, Hu Xijin, stated, "The South Korean media reported the Chinese netizens' response in an exaggerates, sensationalistic manner. They did not respect their rights of the Chinese netizens to share their opinions."
He continued on, adding, "Americans may be happy about BTS's acceptance speech, but many Chinse people will naturally feel uncomfortable by their comments. Chinese interner users have openly expressed their disdance on the internet, but very few mainstream Chinese media outlets reported or commented on the controversy."
In the report, Hu Xijin claimed that the Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is refraining from making any comments concerning BTS's controversy.
Many Korean netizens expressed outrage over the attitude of Hu Xijin, the editor-in-Chief, for diverting any blame from the Global Times.
To defend himself, the-editor-in-chief claimed that only a few media outlets in China had reported on the issue, unlike the number of South Korean that reported on the controversy. However, many pointed out that The Global Times is one of the media outlets that did report on it, and they are one of the largest media outlets in China. Following the backlash the article received, the Global Times deleted the article from their site.
Previously, it was announced that BTS was one of the recipients of the Van Fleet Award for their contributions to the development of U.S.-South Korean relations. Each year, the awards is given a personality or a group of personalities who have contributed to the betterment of U.S.-South Korean relations. BTS is the only K-pop group this year to have received the award.
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The boys of BTS gave a heartwarming speech during the online gala, in which they talked about how music has the ability to unite others and their hopes for their music to continue being a link for people all over the world. However, part of RM's speech triggered an issue with Chinese netizens, as they interpreted it as an insult towards their fallen soldiers.
During BTS's speech for the award, 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, is seen as disrespectful towards China's fallen soldiers, who had lost their lives during the Korean War. During the Korean War, China had sided with North Korea and the Soviet Union, leading to a loss of a number of Chinese soldiers' lives.
ALSO READ: BTS Under Fire Following RM's VFA Speech + Samsung & FILA China Delete BTS Contents
As the controversy continued to gain traction in China with Chinese netizens, the deputy director of the Foreign Ministry information Department of the People's Republic of China gave a short statement concerning BTS's speech, in which he stressed the need to learn about world history and to promote love, peace, and friendship.
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The Global Times is known for provoking an emotional response in Chinese netizens with their provocative reports. Previously, they wrote many sensational articled during the THAAD conflict between China and South Korea.
