IVE member Jang Wonyoung has found herself at the center of controversy after a single remark in a behind-the-scenes video from the 2025 MAMA Awards resurfaced weeks after the event, drawing intense backlash from Chinese netizens.
The year-end K-pop ceremony was held last month at Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong. While the event concluded without incident, controversy erupted after IVE uploaded a backstage video to their official YouTube channel. In the footage, Jang Wonyoung can be heard saying in Korean, “Hong Kong is one of the countries I like,” using the word “나라 (nara)”, which directly translates to “country.”
The phrasing quickly sparked outrage among Chinese netizens, who accused the idol of making a politically sensitive statement. Screenshots of the clip circulated rapidly across online forums, with subtitles in multiple languages—Japanese using “国 (kuni)” and English translating the line as “country”—further amplifying the backlash.
While some fans rushed to defend Jang Wonyoung, arguing that the English word “country” can also broadly refer to a region or place, the explanation failed to convince many critics. Opponents pointed out that the Chinese subtitles instead translated the remark as “Hong Kong is one of the places I like,” leading to accusations that the agency was already aware of the term’s sensitivity yet still chose to release the footage.
Critics argued that this discrepancy suggested intentional ambiguity, with some claiming the wording carried political implications related to territorial issues. As a result, Jang Wonyoung became the target of harsh online criticism, with calls for clarification and accountability spreading across Chinese social media platforms.
Neither Starship Entertainment nor Jang Wonyoung has issued an official response regarding the controversy as of now. The incident once again highlights the heightened scrutiny K-pop idols face when performing or speaking in regions where political and cultural sensitivities are deeply intertwined.
As IVE continues its global activities, the situation serves as another reminder of how a single sentence—especially in behind-the-scenes content—can escalate into a full-scale international debate, reflecting the complex intersection of entertainment, language, and geopolitics in today’s K-pop industry.
Sources: Yahoo News
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