Korean band BTS’ agency in trouble in China for showing South Tibet as part of India on map

ACN Correspondent On Feb 26, 2021

NEW DELHI: Big Hit Entertainment, an agency that manages Korean all-boy band BTS with billions of fans across the world is in the eye of the storm in China for using a map that indicated South Tibet as part of India.

A huge number of internet users in China registered their offense on social media sites.

Tibet is currently under the control of China since 1950 when it had sent thousands of its troops there to enforce its claim on the region. China has repeatedly claimed South Tibet as its integral part, and its official map shows South Tibet as its territory.

In 1959, 14^th Dalai Lama had fled China to set up a government in exile in India after a failed anti-China uprising.

“Big Hit Entertainment on Tuesday released a financial information report. On the eighth page, the company showcased its revenue in different countries and regions in 2020, using the incorrect map as a background,” reported Global Times, a tabloid daily newspaper published by China’s ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily newspaper.

In financial information report released by the K-pop agency on February 23, the company displayed its revenue collection in different countries across the world. On the eighth page, the company allegedly used an incorrect map in which South Tibet was shown as part of India, not that of China.

“South Korean K-pop agency Big Hit Entertainment, which manages idol group BTS, raised eyebrows among Chinese denizens for using an incorrect map that failed to indicate South Tibet as part of China, but instead showed it as Indian territory,” wrote the Global Times.

A blogger who reportedly bumped into the map excluding South Tibet from Chinese territory later posted the matter in an online group of Chinese social media platform Douban.

“In the post, the blogger reminded the company to review and correct the map, so as not to arouse hostile sentiment between people on both sides,” said the Chinese newspaper.

However, neither the company had not made any announcement about this issue nor the Chinese government had announced any action against the officials of Big Hit Entertainment as of press time.

It is the second time since October last year when the K-pop sensation group BTS has drawn widespread criticism by the denizens in China.

In October 2020, Kim Nam-Joon, the leader of the Korean pop group BTS who performs under the stage name RM (formerly Rap Monster), had acknowledged the shared suffering of Americans and Koreans during a ceremony commemorating the Korean War (1950-53).

Chinese netizens lament that RM had expressed concern over the loss of lives by American and South Korean soldiers during the war that was fought between South and North Korea but did not recognize the contribution of the Chinese soldiers who fought on the side of North Korea and laid their lives.

India has supported South Korea and had rushed its para-medics and air-ambulance contingent to support its soldiers.

“Some Chinese netizens argued that it was the agency’s fault and the idols under its label should not be blamed, but some others responded that the company is a repeat offender against China, considering the controversial Korean War speech that BTS made in October 2020,” reported Global Times.

In October, the South Korean hit boy band received the General James A. Van Fleet Award – one of the most prestigious awards in the field of US-Korea relations.

“The team leader of BTS said online that “we will always remember the history of pain that our two nations share together and the sacrifices of countless men and women.”

Following Chinese social media filling with outrage, the two Korean multinational companies Hyundai and Samsung doing business in China had in October removed their advertisements with any trace of their collaborations with the band on Chinese websites.