BEIJING, China (AP) – Days after pictures of a customised jet sponsored by the fan club were released online, Chinese social media site Weibo banned the fan club of popular South Korean K-pop band BTS from posting for 60 days, claiming it had gathered cash illegally.
BTS member Jimin was the focus of the fan club account, which has over 1.1 million followers on Weibo. The account was restricted as part of China’s drive to clean up the entertainment sector and crack down on “irrational conduct” by fans.
Xi Jinping, China’s president, has called for a “national rejuvenation” that includes greater Communist Party control over industry, education, culture, and religion.
Since then, the party has limited children’s access to internet gaming and is attempting to prevent what it regards as unhealthy celebrity worship. Last week, the government outlawed effeminate males on television, as well as idol development shows, for having “poor moral standards” that may harm children.
After photos of a modified jet from Jeju Air with images of Jimin surfaced online last week, the BTS fan account was prohibited from posting on Weibo. The customised plane was part of the club’s celebration of his 26th birthday, which happened in October.
The prank received a lot of backlashes online because of its over-the-top nature. In response to the reaction, the account posted a message on its feed last week asking followers to be “sensible” while pursuing celebrities in order to maintain a “harmonious and healthy internet environment.” The organisation has been prohibited from posting on Weibo for 60 days after it was discovered to have gathered cash illegally, according to a statement released on Sunday.
According to the statement, “Weibo firmly condemns such illogical star-chasing conduct and will deal with it seriously.”
After a video leaked online last week showing its CEO refer to Taiwan as an “ultra-modern, high-tech country,” Chinese singer and actor Lu Han, a former member of famous K-pop group EXO, stated Sunday that he would break relations with Swiss luxury watch company Audemars Piguet.
China, which claims Taiwan as its territory, disagrees to the self-governing island being referred to as a country. Other nations have diplomatic ties with either China or Taiwan, but not both, under the one-country policy.
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