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The controversy is the latest example of the
political landmines lying in wait for big brands in China, the
world's second-largest economy.
The leader of BTS, known by the initials RM, upset many people
in China in a speech when the band received an award from a
U.S.-based organisation for their contribution to South Korea-U.S.
relations.
RM invoked a "history of pain" shared between South Korea and
the United States and, referring to the 1950-53 Korean War,
spoke of "sacrifices of countless men and women".
The war pitted South Korean and U.S. forces against those from
North Korea and China.
The comments touched off heated debate on social media in China.
"They should not make any money from China," one angry user said
on the Weibo platform, referring to BTS.
"If you want to make money from Chinese fans you have to
consider Chinese feelings."
Posts featuring Samsung's BTS special edition smartphones and
earphones disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall
and JD.com as the controversy swirled.
BTS-related posts from other companies including sports fashion
brand FILA and automaker Hyundai, which have endorsement deals
with the seven-member group, also disappeared from their
official Weibo accounts, Chinese users said.
It was not clear if the companies or someone else had removed
the posts. Samsung, FILA and Hyundai did not respond to requests
for comment when contacted by Reuters.
The band’s management company, Big Hit Entertainment, did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Pei Li, additional reporting by Hyonhee shin in
Seoul; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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