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Popular South Korean comedian and TV host Yoo Jae-suk, who's also affectionately known as the "Nation's MC", has incurred the wrath of Chinese social media users for comments he made on his show "Hangout with Yoo".

South Koreans rallied behind national skater

In episode 126 of the reality show, which aired on Feb. 19, Yoo expressed his anger at South Korean speed skater's disqualification from the semifinals of the men's 1,000m race on Feb. 8 for making "an illegal late pass causing contact".

Hwang was the first to finish the race.

After his disqualification, two Chinese athletes Ren Ziwei and Li Wenlong, who had originally finished second and third, then went on to clinch gold and silver respectively in the final event.

Hwang had received massive support from South Koreans after his disqualification, with a Twitter user claiming that a Chinese skater had appeared to push Hwang during the race, but still made it to the next round with no penalty.

"I was so angry"

In response to regular cast member Shin Bong-sun saying that she was "so angry" while watching the Olympics, Yoo said, "I couldn't control my anger then. I was so angry."

"But two days later, Hwang Dae-heon won," he added.

Yoo and the other hosts then clapped and cheered for Hwang, who won gold at the 1,500m race on Feb. 10.

In a post-race interview, Hwang downplayed the furore over his disqualification, saying he didn't have a "a clean game".

It was the first gold medal earned by an athlete from South Korea -- known as a short track powerhouse -- at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

"No idol comes before the country"

The particular scene attracted a certain amount of backlash on Weibo, with a number of commenters declaring that they have stopped stanning Yoo.

"What a drag, I've been watching 'Running Man' for 10 years, but there's no idol in front of the nation."

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"Stop playing around with the Korea Limitation Law, just straight up give us a Ban Korea Law, thanks."

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"I hope that when Koreans root for their own athletes, they follow some common sense and logic. It's talent when someone wins, and unfair treatment when someone loses? This kind of mentality will only ruin themselves."

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"I really liked him in the past because I thought his personality was charming, and I thought he was good-looking. But I've come to see him for what he truly is because of the Olympics incident, and now I think he's just ugly without any other issues."

The backlash towards Yoo was reported by South Korean media, such as The Korea Herald and Korea JoongAng Daily as well, which said commenters interpreted his remarks as blaming China for Hwang's disqualification.

Amid the uproar, a Chinese fan club dedicated to Yoo called Yooniverse, which had more than 510,000 followers, has shut down.

A post on Feb. 20 said Yoo and the fans' had "different" directions.

However, not all of Yoo's fans turned against him -- comments discussing Yoo's programmes were still found on Weibo as of Mar. 1.

Previously, popular boyband BTS member Kim Nam-joon was also attacked by online users as they took offence at an Instagram Story that he posted, which showed a clip of Hwang overtaking two Chinese athletes during a race.

Chinese media slam Yoo for supporting "dishonourable" athlete

Chinese media have weighed in on the matter as well.

Piling on the disapproving comments on Yoo, one blog post criticised him for supporting an athlete who "broke the rules with malicious intent".

It also highlighted some Chinese social media users' views that the South Koreans are "petty" for getting angry over the issue.

Another blog post agreed with those who stopped being fans of Yoo because of this incident, saying they are "rational".

It further said Yoo would eventually destroy his entertainment career for supporting an athlete like Hwang, who was "without sporting spirit".

Also chiming in on the matter, as it has always done so for controversial topics seen as damaging the national dignity of the country, nationalistic state-backed media Global Times (GT) criticised Yoo for his comments, saying they were made irresponsibly.

"As Yoo is an influential celebrity both in South Korea and in China, his remarks are sure to be repeated by some spectators, especially among those who are not rational and do not have their own judgment," GT wrote.

Chinese Instagram users attack Jennie Kim

Popular K-pop girlband Blackpink's Jennie Kim was targeted as well by Chinese social media users after Hwang claimed in an interview that the singer had congratulated him for winning his gold medal, allkpop reported.

Kim herself had not clarified with the public if she did have this exchange with Hwang, who had previously revealed that he's a fan of Kim and would like to get her support for his then-upcoming participation in the Olympics.

Angered internet users flooded Kim's Instagram page with disapproving comments.

"I believe in you always, but I love China, if I don't hear (an apology) from you, sorry."

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"You really went overboard."

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The issue spilled over to Weibo as well, which could be accessed by anyone in China without the use of a VPN.

"Hilarious, (she congratulated Hwang) in private. She's really scared to let her fans in China know about this."

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"Everyone quick, run. Jennie Kim's servants (referring to her fans) are on their way to whitewash her, (they'll) wash even more thoroughly than a washing machine."

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"This lady usually becomes a trending topic with the slightest issue, but why isn't this trending?"

However, there were still a good number of Chinese fans who stood up for Kim, with an Instagram user expressing their disappointment at other Chinese who lambasted her for what they thought was a transgression.

"There are really too many irrational people within the country (China). Even without clarifying things, they come here to disparage someone. Jennie Kim didn't do anything wrong. Please let her off, we don't want her to be hurt."

Such messages of support were found on Weibo as well, although the majority of comments were still critical of Kim.

"Lol Hwang Dae-heon dreamed this up himself (referring to the congratulatory message from Kim), and there are people who believe him?"

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"I'm a huge fan of Jennie so I've the right to say this. Jennie's gonna slay during her second world tour. Let's wait and see, those of you who said you would stop stanning her. Wait till her name's all over the country again, I ask that you cover your ears (so you can't listen to her music), and don't cheapen yourself (Chinese expression with a negative connotation that roughly translates to doing something despite already knowing the consequences)."

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Top image adapted via Getty Images