China Weibo bans BTS band fan club
BEIJING — Chinese social media platform Weibo banned a fan club of popular South Korean K-pop band BTS from posting for 60 days, saying it had raised funds illegally, days after photographs of a customized airplane funded by the fan club were posted online.
The fan club account, which had more than 1.1 million followers on Weibo, was centered on BTS member Jimin. The restrictions imposed on the account came amid China’s campaign to clean up the entertainment industry and clamp down on “irrational behavior” exhibited by fans.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a “national rejuvenation” with a tighter Communist Party control of business, education, culture and religion.
The party has reduced children’s access to online games and is trying to discourage what it sees as unhealthy attention toward celebrities. Last week, the government banned effeminate men from beign shown on TV and banned idol development shows for their “low moral values” that could be a bad influence on youths.
The BTS fan account was banned from posting on Weibo after images circulated online last week of a customized airplane from Jeju Air with images of Jimin on it. The plane was part of the club’s plans to celebrate his 26th birthday in October.
The stunt drew swift criticism online for its excess. After the backlash, the account issued a statement last week on its feed urging fans to be “rational” when chasing celebrities for a “harmonious and healthy internet environment.”
Weibo said Sunday that the group has been banned from posting for 60 days after it was found to have raised funds illegally.
“Weibo firmly opposes such irrational star-chasing behavior and will deal with it seriously,” it said.
The fan club began raising money in April to prepare for the birthday celebrations, according to state-owned media Global Times, with more than $150,000 raised in the first three minutes of the fundraising activity and $360,000 in the first hour.
The club also planned to run advertisements celebrating Jimin’s birthday in newspapers such as The New York Times.
It is not uncommon for K-pop fans worldwide to celebrate the birthdays of their favorite celebrities by taking out advertisements in newspapers and on billboards or customizing public transport vehicles with images of their idols.
Many fans also fundraise to donate to charitable causes such as funding education for the underprivileged or sponsoring wild animals in stars’ names.
Weibo also said it banned 21 other fan accounts for 30 days for posting “irrational star-chasing” content. They were mostly centered around K-pop celebrities, such as members of South Korean boy bands NCT and EXO, and girl group Blackpink.