The famous Korean Boy Group, BTS was thanked after they supported the bilateral relations amid a backlash in China over comments made by the band's leader about the Korean War. The U.S State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus tweeted, "Thank you BTS for your ongoing work supporting positive U.S-ROK relations. You're very deserving of The Korea Society's General James A. Van Fleet Award."
BTS is currently facing a fierce backlash in communist China after its leader made comments expressing solidarity with the U.S. as a result of the Korean War. Within the video, the leader, RM mentioned, "We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women." However, due to the fact that China backed North Korea, The Chinese Communist fans started a club which platformed, 'no longer follow the group and quite the fan club.' RM's comments had made a huge impact on Chinese fan groups as the Chinese business marketing team rapidly removed the band's pictures which advertised brands. Oct 11, Sunday, the hashtag #BTS increased to the third most-searched list which frustrated the Chinese netizens.
One former BTS fan even stated, 'Chinese netizens said the band's totally one-sided attitude to the Korean War hurts their feelings and negates history. There were thousands of Chinese soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the war. You are South Korean people and you can say that, but I am Chinese so I decided to be angry and quit the fan club to express my strong attitude."
On the other hand, BTS is still supported by many individuals and social media has largely supported the group's acceptance of speech. Although there were contradictions among the two countries, BTS acknowledged America and South Korea's 'history of pain'.
