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| Taiwan president-elect Tsai Ing-wen waves to supporters after winning the presidential election, in Taipei, Taiwan, Saturday. The opposition leader beat two other candidates to win the election. Tsai, chairwoman of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), will be sworn in on May 20 for a four-year term. / EPA-Yonhap |
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| Tzuyu |
Tzuyu, a Taiwanese member of a multinational K-pop girl group TWICE, has been thrown into a political row between Taiwan and mainland China for waving her country's national flag during an online TV show.
Now the incident shows signs of spilling over into a diplomatic storm involving Korea.
The controversy erupted last November when TWICE members from different countries waved their flags on an online reality show. Tzuyu, 16, born and raised in Taiwan, waved Taiwan's official flag.
It drew a backlash from mainland China, which regards Taiwan -- whose official name is the Republic of China -- as part of China, although the island state has its own government and military.
The row became worse after pro-China Taiwanese singer Huang An labeled Tzuyu a pro-Taiwan activist. He demanded an explanation from Tzuyu about why she waved the flag and proof that she was not a pro-Taiwan activist.
This has triggered a boycott of TWICE by the Chinese entertainment industry, which led JYP Entertainment, the group's agency, to issue a statement and apology, Friday.
Looking tired and sad, Tzuyu said in a short video message on YouTube, "There's only one China. I am proud I am Chinese. As a Chinese person, while participating in activities abroad, my improper behavior hurt my company and netizens on both sides of the strait. I feel deeply sorry and guilty. I decided to reflect on myself seriously and suspend all my activities in China."
Her apology has not settled the row but aggravated it.
On Saturday, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou asked officials to clarify the roles of Korea and China in this row, saying the two have to take it seriously.
Countering this, China's Taiwan Affairs Office said some politicians in Taiwan were exploiting the incident to cause anti-mainland sentiment.
The incident was the main topic in Taiwan's presidential election, Saturday, in which Tsai Ing-wen from the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party won.
Openly defending Tzuyu, Tsai warned mainland China not to suppress the island.
Taiwanese citizens also expressed discomfort with the YouTube video, which had more than 4.7 million views as of Sunday.
The Taipei Times reported: "The YouTube clip drew an angry response in Taiwan as netizens said Tzuyu must have been forced to apologize by her South Korean bosses, who caved in to pressure from Chinese fans."
A Taipei resident, who wished to be named Calvin, told The Korea Times, "The video certainly made young voters, who usually have no interest in politics, go to the polls Saturday, because they were absolutely angry at the video. The video of a 16-year-old girl reminds me of one of the ISIS videos."
It is feared that the incident would put a damper on Hallyu, or the Korea Wave, in Taiwan and mainland China.
Kim Hyung-woo in charge of public relations at JYP Entertainment, refused to comment, but said, "We apologize again that we failed to take care of Tzuyu properly. What is clear is that Tzuyu is an important asset for us."
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