Criticizing IVE and BTS For Similar Cultural Reasons, Chinese Netizens Backed Down Upon Facing ARMY

On April 29th, IVE released their second mini album, titled “IVE SWITCH.”By the 30th, it had risen to No.3 on the Worldwide iTunes Album Chart and topped the charts in 16 countries. The album’s title track, “HEYA,”also reached No.1 on iTunes Top Song Chart in 3 countries. The accompanying music video surpassed 10 million views within 19 hours and climbed to the top spot on YouTube Worldwide Trending on April 30th. These accomplishments are particularly noteworthy given the current internal conflict within HYBE, which the Korean music industry is closely observing.

Despite efforts to make a comeback, IVE is still facing difficulties due to unfounded accusations from Chinese netizens. Specifically, many Chinese individuals are accusing IVE’s music video of appropriating Chinese culture.

The music video for “HEYA”showcases a distinct concept that incorporates elements of traditional Korean culture and symbols. Traditional items like jeogori, norigae, and smoking pipes are featured throughout the video, adding to its overall traditional Korean aesthetic.

In her blog post, Park Ji-eun, the director and creator of 2D concept art and character designs for IVE’s music video, discussed the use of the terms “oriental painting”or “Korean painting”in Korea. She noted that out of the three East Asian countries, Korea is the only one to use these terms, which are rooted in the country’s history. Additionally, she described the video as a modern take on traditional Korean aesthetics, incorporating elements such as traditional portraits, landscape paintings, and genre paintings.

Despite being given an explanation, Chinese Internet users continued to make ridiculous claims that ink paintings and even the members’ hair knots were part of Chinese culture. This is not the first instance of Chinese people causing controversy, but it was only the girl group that faced criticism. For example, IVE’s Jang Won-young was criticized for wearing a phoenix binyeo to the 2022 Paris Fashion Week, while BLACKPINK’s Jennie was accused of wearing an outfit resembling a Chinese character at a fashion event.

Despite initially raising concerns about boy groups like BTS, the group’s strong fan base caused them to later back down. During their acceptance speech at the 2020 Van Fleet Awards, BTS acknowledged the shared history and sacrifices of both Korea and the US. This caused backlash from Chinese netizens for not mentioning the sacrifices made by Chinese soldiers during the Korean War. However, the criticism was ultimately overshadowed by the overwhelming support from BTS’s global fan base, known as ARMY.

According to experts such as Professor Seo Kyung-duk from Sungshin Women’s University, the actions of Chinese netizens can be attributed to their feelings of inferiority towards Korea. Sociology Professor Yang Seung-hoon from Kyungnam University also noted that this is not a new issue, as Korea, China, and Japan have all shared Taoist philosophy for centuries. He further pointed out that state-run media in China often influences and amplifies critical public opinions on these matters.

The source can be found at daum.