Members of South Korean girl group DIA pose for a photo during an event to mark the release of its third album, “Spell,” at a performance center in Seoul on Sept. 12, 2016. (Yonhap)
This will probably be one of a few areas that the Chinese will retaliate against the ROK for the decision to deploy THAAD:
Speculation is rife that China will target K-pop stars in retaliation against Seoul’s decision to install an American-made missile defense system on the Korean peninsula. K-pop stars could be the unlikely first casualties of Seoul’s decision to deploy a U.S.-made missile defense system on the Korean peninsula, despite vocal opposition from China.
Speculation is rife that China will retaliate by limiting South Korean media and stars from its huge entertainment market.
According to two sources cited by the South China Morning Post, China’s national media regulator informed TV stations in Guangdong Province that TV shows featuring South Korean pop stars would not be granted approval to air “in the near future.”
Meanwhile, shares in South Korean entertainment companies took a dive Tuesday as investors bet that the firms would be hit by impending restrictions from China. SM Entertainment Co., known for such K-pop super-groups as Girls’ Generation, closed down 5.3 percent, according to Bloomberg. YG Entertainment Corp., the company known for producing Psy, fell 8 percent. [Hollywood Reporter]
You can read more at the link, but the ROK has been through this before with China retaliating against them with trade restrictions such as during the Great Kimchi War of 2005.
We haven’t had any Dokdo nonsense in a while here on the ROK Drop so here is the latest issue on this front:
Lizzy from K-pop girl group After School has been facing criticism from Japanese netizens after posting several photos of Dokdo Island on Instagram.
The photos showed Lizzy holding the Korean flag and cheering for the Korean guards on the island off Korea’s east coast. In some photos she said: “Dokdo is a Korean territory.”
Japanese netizens responded with fury, with some attacking her personally. They said “Lizzy should not come to Japan, ever,” “Dokdo is Japanese territory,” “You are not very considerate of your Japanese fans” and “Your caption is very offensive to Japanese fans.”
But Korean fans embraced the singer, whose real name is Park Soo-young. They said “We are proud of you,” “Dokdo definitely belongs to Korea” and “You are a patriot! Don’t mind the malicious comments.” [Korea Times]
Tzuyu, shown in the photo, of K-pop girl group TWICE will temporarily suspend appearances in China after she became mired in a controversy for waving the Taiwanese national flag in an online broadcast in South Korea, according to her agency in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2016. She waved the flag while appearing in a popular TV show “My Little Television” in November last year, the portion of which was not aired on the terrestrial channel but was seen belatedly by online viewers in China. Her agency, JYP Entertainment, said it does not promote political agendas and expressed regret over the controversy. Tzuyu is a Taiwanese native in the multinational, nine-member girl group. (Photo provided by JYP Entertainment) (Yonhap)
It appears the language barrier is what initially led to the misunderstanding at LAX of a K-Pop group being mistakenly investigated as prostitutes. If anything their promotion company should be happy about this arrest because of all the media attention the no name group has now received:
Newbie K-pop girl group Oh My Girl returned to Incheon International Airport on Friday morning after being held for 15 hours at Los Angeles International Airport. WM Entertainment, the eight-member girl group’s agency, said the girl group was held at the U.S. airport because they were mistaken for prostitutes.
“We have appointed a lawyer in the states because we need a valid explanation for the unfair detainment,” a person working for WM Entertainment said. WM added that Oh My Girl left for Los Angeles on Wednesday for photo shoot.
“A person working at immigration asked about the relationship between the girl group members and staff, and one of the staff members said ‘sister,’” a person working at WM told multiple local news agencies. “And the customs office thought it was weird because the girl group and staff members are not related by blood. The customs office also paid attention to a lot of props and clothes.”
Staff members reportedly tried to explain that they were visiting Los Angeles as singers, but they could not correct the misunderstanding at immigration, and the group and staff members’ smartphones were confiscated.
In the end, the girl group could not enter the United States and returned to Korea.
Oh My Girl released their first debut single in April, but the K-pop act is still largely unknown in the music scene. [Joong Ang Ilbo]
We now know why Kim Jong-un’s girl band had to cancel their Beijing performance:
Hyon Song-wol (L), leader of North Korea’s all-female band, arrives at a Beijing hotel on Dec. 11, 2015. The Moranbong Band came to China the previous day for what will be its first performance abroad, a move that North Korea watchers say is a gesture by Pyongyang to mend somewhat strained ties with Beijing. Hyon was once rumored to have been executed for distributing pornographic videotapes. The Moranbong Band, formed by the North’s current leader Kim Jong-un in 2012, will perform for three days in the Chinese capital. (Yonhap)
China had decided to send officials of lower rank to a concert by the all-female North Korean propaganda band in response to the North’s leader Kim Jong-un hinting earlier last week that Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb, a source in Beijing close to the situation said Sunday.
The decision might have been related to the sudden cancellation of the concert by the North Korean side, said the source, who got the information from a Chinese government official with knowledge of the situation.
The Moranbong Band, formed in 2012 following an order from leader Kim, had been scheduled to perform for three days in Beijing starting Saturday, in what was seen as a fresh sign of warming relations between the two allies.
However, the band abruptly headed home hours before the invitation-only concert began Saturday. [Yonhap]
Bora of girl group Sistar poses for photos after being named as the promotional envoy for emergency medical services at a ceremony in Seoul on Nov. 20, 2015. (Yonhap)
