February 09, 2022, 06:32 PM
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Popular South Korean boy band BTS member Kim Nam-joon is the latest celebrity to incur the wrath of Chinese social media users after he posted a short clip in support of his country's speed skating team at the Beijing Winter Olympics.
https://twitter.com/BTStranslation_/status/1490696484891000835
The clip Nam posted on his Instagram Stories shows South Korean athlete Hwang Dae-heon overtaking two Chinese athletes during the competition, Korea Times reported.
He also attached two clapping emojis and a thumbs-up emoji to the clip.
Chinese social media users appeared to take offence at his show of support, and flooded BTS's official Instagram account with vomiting and middle finger emojis.
Screenshot Weibo
They left comments such as "Can't afford to play", suggesting that the South Koreans are sore losers.
One commenter said, "Don't come to the Chinese market if you have guts."
Screenshot via Weibo
They could not leave comments on Nam's Instagram page as he only allows those he follows to comment.
However, BTS's fiercely loyal fanbase -- the ARMY -- have since fought back by flooding the comments section with purple heart emojis, pushing the negative comments so far back they could no longer be found.
Screenshot via BTS/Instagram.
What's the controversy about?
The short track speed skating event was a controversial one, with two South Korean athletes -- Hwang and Lee June-seo -- having been disqualified in the semi-finals, Reuters reported.
Hwang was the first to finish the race.
However, both South Korean athletes were subsequently disqualified for allegedly causing contact with another skater.
Hwang had apparently made an "illegal late pass" while Lee changed lanes during the competition.
Two Chinese athletes, Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong, who originally finished second and third, then went on to clinch gold and silver respectively in the final event.
The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC) called the disqualification unfair and said it will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the International Olympic Committee.
Many South Koreans have questioned the disqualification, with some thinking the referees' decision was made in favour of the Chinese team to boost the country's chances of winning medals on its home ground.
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