Kpop singer Henry under fire for supporting China, still doesn’t understand why he’s being criticized
Henry received harsh responses from netizens after his explanation of past controversies.
On June 3rd, Kpop singer Henry attended the JTBC entertainment program “FLY to the Dance”, which brings dancers to the US, home of street dance, to perform busking performances.
Previously, Henry stirred controversies after expressing his support for China. In 2018, amid the territorial dispute over the South China Sea, the singer publicly supported the “One China” ideology by posting the “One China” map on the SNS platform Weibo, as well as wearing a mask that resembled the Chinese flag and had “I love China” printed on it. Here, “One China” basically means that there is only one legitimate Chinese government, and that Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan are all indivisible from the mainland of China.
Around the same time, the show “Street Dance of China 4” introduced the Korean hanbok and traditional song Arirang as “Chinese folk music and costumes”, leading to waves of criticisms from the Korean side.
When asked about the controversies, Henry said: “The past few months was the hardest time in my life. I was very upset when I heard swear words and profanities. I could stand them being directed at me, but I couldn’t stand bad things being said to my family. I was heartbroken.”
The singer also added: “I think it’s a blessing to be born in this world. That’s why I will love everyone in the world. I’m a person who wants to deliver good energy to many people regardless of nationality or gender through stage and music. I hope you’ll see above nationalism and politics. So I want you to stop now.”
However, netizens’ reaction to Henry’s appearance and words was pretty hostile.
First of all, Henry was criticized for “acting like a victim” by emphasizing the pain he suffered, while ignoring those hurt by his controversy.
In addition, Henry asked people to see above politics, but he was the one who stirred up political matters.
There are also criticisms that the male artist delivered too much negative energy in through his controversial actions to be called “a person who tries to deliver good energy, and that by supporting “One China”, he’s far from “loving everyone.”
As Henry failed to show his understanding and respect for other cultures and only seemed to care about China, netizens said the singer should go back to China to work and stay away from Korea.
At this point, criticism has spread to the production team that cast Henry on the program, and people express confusion as to how controversial personalities like Henry were invited to the show. The program was supposed to be about Korean dancers who travel abroad to promote dance, they said, and Henry was far from such synopsis
Source: daum
