GOT7’s Jackson telling a fan “I’m Chinese” after being greeted in Korean draws controversy

Jackson Wang comes under criticism among Korean fans with his controversial response to a fan. 

Idol is a more difficult job than what fans usually think when looking at their glamour. Idols have to pay close attention to every action and every word they say, even the smallest thing can cause controversy. Recently, Jackson‘s act of refusing a greeting in Korean created controversy.

On social networks, a video of Jackson’s conversation with a fan went viral. Specifically, this fan said hello to the male idol in Korean. However, instead of responding to the fan’s enthusiasm, he briefly refused by saying, “I’m Chinese”.

Jackson’s reaction to the fan’s greeting in Korean became a hot topic of discussion. Many express their disapproval of his attitude in the video. They think that Jackson debuted as a K-pop idol so his act was like a denial of his own origin.

Besides, GOT7 is rumored to make a comeback in the near future. This controversial action of Jackson can make it hard for Korean fans to continue to support him as a Kpop idol.

However, many fans defend Jackson by saying that he was probably only joking because Jackson is known as someone who likes to joke around with others. Most likely, the fan in the video is Chinese but tried to say hi to Jackson in Korean, so he wanted his fan to be able to talk to him comfortably, without having any bad intentions.

Some comments from netizens:

• Does he think people don’t know he’s Chinese? If he acts like this, why did he come to Korea to debut?
• I know it’s a joke, but it’s not funny
• Why couldn’t he say hello back to the fan in Korean? Other foreign idols happily greet their fans in Korean all the time. Jackson’s EQ sucks 
• He could have just nodded, or said hello in Chinese, English or something. He’s fluent in Korean yet said this, it’s like saying I don’t want to greet you back. 
• He was just joking, stop overreacting

After training at JYP, Jackson debuted in GOT7 in 2014. The male idol attracted fans during his promotions with the group in Korea thanks to his funny and charming personality, and fluency in both Korean and English. In 2021, all 7 members of GOT7 decided to not renew their contracts with JYP.

Jackson’s international operations are run by Team Wang.  “We can confirm that Jackson will not renew his contract. He will return to the company Team Wang founded by himself and expand his activities into many fields in 2021. Jackson’s goal is to develop the global business. “ – the company representative shared.

In addition, Jackson will sign a business agreement with Sublime Artist Agency.  Accordingly, Team Wang and the Korean entertainment company will become global partners, ensuring that the male idol continues to work in China, Korea and internationally. Youngjae – GOT7 member also joined Sublime Artist Agency after leaving JYP.

BamBam not long ago also hinted at GOT7’s comeback. “Even if I don’t say it now, you guys will know later. As soon as the other two (Mark and JackSon) returned to Korea, everything was clear, right? So you guys just speculate on your own.” he shared.

Jackson’s reaction to the fans’ greetings in Korean caused quite a stir.  Although many people defended that he was just joking, the male idol has made Korean netizens disappointed.