The member of the K-Pop boy band Super Junior Siwon (real name Choi Si-won) has came under fire from his Chinese fans after the artist liked a tweet of a South Korean news outlet with a link to a translated interview with Hong Kong protester Patrick Chow, South China Morning Post reports.
Chinese fans have accused the singer of supporting Hong Kong’s independence, while mainland China is committed to the ‘one country, two systems’ principle of governing the city.
Later, Siwon officially apologized through his Weibo page (Chinese version of Twitter). “I saw what happened on Twitter caused some problems. As for my actions, I would like to express my wish that the violence and chaos can come to a peaceful end as soon as possible,” he wrote as cited by South China Morning Post.
Chinese ELF (the official name of Super Junior’s fandom), however, has stated on social networks that they would boycott Siwon’s activities in China and his participation in the group’s upcoming concert in Macau.
Fans from other countries have defended their favourite idol.
so fed up with all these control freaks! now what? they want to control people from other nations regarding their own opinion? totally sick! Siwon doesnt need to apologize.
— someonestryingtostealmy💜 (@sleeplesspandaa) November 25, 2019
I think Siwon has the right to hold an opinion. Just coz he is an idol does not mean he can't express his views on these topics just coz it will hurt a major section of his fans. If they fans r liking him Just for that then it's them being selfish. They have no right to be angry
— 🌃 ARI | ❤️ 🦊🦅🦄🐶🐯🐺🐼🐣❤️ (@TheElfShawol) November 25, 2019
Can this year just get to the bottom worse already? I had enough of bullshit people still tryin to do on all senior grps as if they never contribute to the kpop they know now.
— 대성 아내 (@daeshila_2426) November 25, 2019
Siwon never gonna be free from hates.. the only members that gonna be free from hates is donghae. ㅡ.ㅡ
Choi Si-won is a South Korean singer, model, and actor, and a member of the famous K-Pop band Super Junior. He has also been an ambassador of UNICEF in South Korea since 2010 and has joined enormous campaigns.
Large-scale protests, triggered by a now-withdrawn controversial extradition bill, have continued in Hong Kong since early June, with the police having detained nearly 4,500 people since then. Over 1,500 people have been hospitalized after sustaining wounds in clashes, and over 400 police officers have been injured. While fewer people are now taking to the streets, the protests remain violent, and the demonstrators have expanded their demands for the government.
Tensions have escalated over the past week as a violent standoff at Hong Kong Polytechnic University between students and law enforcement continues to unfold.