BTS Makes Award Speech in Remembrance of Shared History in Korean War. Mainland Netizens Say Award Commemorates US Army in the War, Decry Speech as Insulting and Ask BTS to Leave China
Bangtan Boys (BTS), a world-famous K-pop boy band with a huge following, received the James A. Van Fleet Award last Wednesday (Oct 7) for their contributions to promoting US-Korea relations. In their award speech, members mentioned the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, saying, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.” The speech attracted criticisms from mainland netizens, who stated through Weibo that it insulted China, some even commented, “Go away, BTS has died”. The post in question received 1.66 million likes and 36 thousand comments.
The James A. Van Fleet Award was organised by US non-profit organisation The Korea Society and established in 1995 in commemoration of James A. Van Fleet, Commander of the US Eighth Army during the Korean War and Founder of the organisation. The award is mainly given to persons or organisations that promoted US-Korea relations. The award ceremony this year was held online last Wednesday, during which the BTS was given the award for their musical achievements, influence on fans globally and promotion of US-Korea relations. During the award speech, the group’s leader Kim Nam-joon (RM) mentioned that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which gave special significance to the organisation’s annual gala this year. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women. After 70 years, the world we are living in is much closer than before, and boundaries in many aspects are getting more blurred.” Kim’s speech did not specify the two nations mentioned.
Source: Stand News #Oct11
#Korea #US #China #Weibo #BTS #AwardCeremony #TheKoreanSociety #JamesAVanFleetAward
https://bit.ly/2GVLPLM
Bangtan Boys (BTS), a world-famous K-pop boy band with a huge following, received the James A. Van Fleet Award last Wednesday (Oct 7) for their contributions to promoting US-Korea relations. In their award speech, members mentioned the 70th Anniversary of the Korean War, saying, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.” The speech attracted criticisms from mainland netizens, who stated through Weibo that it insulted China, some even commented, “Go away, BTS has died”. The post in question received 1.66 million likes and 36 thousand comments.
The James A. Van Fleet Award was organised by US non-profit organisation The Korea Society and established in 1995 in commemoration of James A. Van Fleet, Commander of the US Eighth Army during the Korean War and Founder of the organisation. The award is mainly given to persons or organisations that promoted US-Korea relations. The award ceremony this year was held online last Wednesday, during which the BTS was given the award for their musical achievements, influence on fans globally and promotion of US-Korea relations. During the award speech, the group’s leader Kim Nam-joon (RM) mentioned that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the Korean War, which gave special significance to the organisation’s annual gala this year. “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together and the sacrifices of countless men and women. After 70 years, the world we are living in is much closer than before, and boundaries in many aspects are getting more blurred.” Kim’s speech did not specify the two nations mentioned.
Source: Stand News #Oct11
#Korea #US #China #Weibo #BTS #AwardCeremony #TheKoreanSociety #JamesAVanFleetAward
https://bit.ly/2GVLPLM