IVE member Jang Wonyoung has once again become the target of criticism from Chinese netizens following remarks she made in a recent behind-the-scenes video related to the 2025 MAMA Awards.
The controversy stems from a video uploaded to IVE’s official YouTube channel titled “2025 MAMA Behind.” In the footage, Jang Wonyoung expresses her excitement ahead of the event held in Hong Kong, speaking casually backstage.
During the video, she said, “We should eat a delicious dinner. I like Hong Kong. There’s a lot of good food. Hong Kong is one of the countries I like.” She added, “I want to eat Peking duck today. I hope everyone enjoys a nice dinner and has fun watching ‘2025 MAMA.’”
Following the video’s release, Chinese netizens took issue with her description of Hong Kong as a “country,” arguing that the remark violated the “One China” principle. Although the Chinese subtitles in the video translated the word as “region,” critics pointed out that the original Korean audio used wording they interpreted as problematic.
Online backlash quickly spread across China’s largest social media platform, Weibo, where hashtags such as #JangWonyoungHongKongCountry, #IVEGetOutOfChina, and #KoreanIdolsHistoryEducation began trending. Some users even called for a boycott of the artist.
Chinese media outlets also reported on the issue. Sina Entertainment published an article titled “IVE’s Jang Wonyoung Refers to Hong Kong as a ‘Country’… Controversy Over MAMA Behind Video,” stating that the remark was viewed as “a direct challenge to China’s territorial integrity.” Global Times echoed similar criticism, commenting that “Korean idols benefit from the Chinese market while lacking political sensitivity,” and accusing them of showing “a double standard” toward Chinese sovereignty.
This is not the first time Jang Wonyoung has faced intense criticism from Chinese netizens. In 2022, she was previously targeted after sharing photos from Paris Fashion Week in which she wore a traditional Korean hairpin. At the time, some Chinese netizens claimed she was “stealing Chinese culture,” insisting that phoenix-shaped hairpins originated exclusively from China.
As of now, neither Jang Wonyoung nor her agency has released an official statement addressing the latest controversy.
Sources: 네이트 뉴스
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