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The Chinese social media giant Weibo banned the fan accounts of South Korean K-pop band BTS for 60 days for illegal fundraising.
The Chinese social media giant Weibo has banned a fan club of the Korean pop band BTS from posting for 60 days, claiming that it illegally raised funds. A few days ago, photos of the customized airplane funded by the fan club were posted online.
The fan club account with more than 1.1 million fans on Weibo is centered on BTS member Jimin. The restrictions imposed on the account come at a time when China is launching a campaign to clean up the entertainment industry and crack down on “irrational behavior” displayed by fans.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “national rejuvenation,” and the Communist Party strengthened its control over commerce, education, culture, and religion.
Since then, the party has reduced children’s access to online games and has tried to stop what it considers to be unhealthy concerns about celebrities. Last week, the government banned the appearance of weak men on television and banned idol development programs because their “low moral values” may have a negative impact on young people.
Last week, after a picture of a custom-built aircraft of Jeju Air circulated on the Internet, the fan account of the BTS was banned from posting on Weibo with a picture of Jimin. This custom aircraft is part of the club’s plan to celebrate his 26th birthday in October.
The world’s first-customized exclusive aircraft in cooperation with Jeju Air
Period: 9.1-11.30
Flight number: HL8087Note: The route may be changed due to special reasons. Please download Flightradar24 to view the flight information. pic.twitter.com/vp6AMpqjgd
-PARKJIMINBAR👑 (@JIMINBAR_CHINA) September 1, 2021
This gimmick quickly drew criticism online because it was too much. After being strongly opposed, the account issued a statement in its feed last week, urging fans to be “reasonable” when chasing celebrities in search of a “harmonious and healthy Internet environment.”
Weibo said in a statement on Sunday that the organization had been banned from posting for 60 days after it was found to be illegally raising funds.
The statement said: “Weibo firmly opposes such irrational star-chasing behavior and will deal with it seriously.”
According to the Global Times, the official Chinese media, the fan club started fundraising in April to prepare for the birthday celebration. In the first three minutes of the fundraising event, more than 1 million yuan (150,000 US dollars) and 2.3 million yuan were raised. (36 million US dollars) in the first hour.
The club also plans to publish advertisements celebrating Zhimin’s birthday in newspapers such as the New York Times.
It is not uncommon for K-pop fans all over the world to celebrate the birthdays of their favorite celebrities by advertising in newspapers and billboards or customizing public transportation with idol images.
Many fans also raise money to donate to charities, such as funding the education of disadvantaged groups or sponsoring wild animals in the name of celebrities as part of such celebrations.
Weibo also stated in a separate statement on Sunday that it prohibited 21 other fan accounts from posting “irrational star-chasing” content for a period of 30 days. Most of the blocked fan accounts are centered on K-pop celebrities, such as members of the South Korean boy group NCT and EXO and the girl group Blackpink.
Chinese celebrities are often forced to abide by the values espoused by the Chinese government or face repercussions. Celebrities such as Fan Bingbing and Zheng Shuang were fined heavily for tax evasion. Popular actress Zhao Wei also deleted her name from the credits of the movies and TV shows she starred in last week for no reason.
Chinese singer and actor Lu Han, a former member of the Korean pop band EXO, said on Sunday that a video circulated on the Internet last week showed that after the CEO of Audemars Piguet referred to Taiwan as a “supermarket”, he would work with Switzerland. Audemars Piguet, the luxury watch brand, severed ties. Modern high-tech country”.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, opposes any claim that this autonomous island is a country. Under the one-country policy, other countries have diplomatic relations with China or Taiwan, but not both.
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