JYP stuck in geopolitical quagmire
JYP Entertainment, which represents the newbie girl group Twice, released another statement Thursday night after one member of the K-pop act, Tzuyu, came under fire for waving the flag of Taiwan while appearing on a popular reality TV show.
Unlike the first statement, the second statement was more specific and detailed because the controversy now shows no signs of slowing down, and JYP feared it would damage its future in China, the world’s largest music market.
JYP uploaded a post to its official Weibo account stating, “Tzuyu understands and respects the one China policy. Taiwan is the home of Tzuyu but it does not mean that she is an advocate of Taiwan’s independence. JYP also respects the one China policy and we don’t allow any situation which may harm friendly relations between Korea and China.”
JYP continued, “Tzuyu did not mention anything about the independence of Taiwan, and the public opinion which labels Tzuyu as an advocate for Taiwan’s independence movement is not true. We feel sorry for not managing our artist well.”
Tzuyu and other members of the multiethnic nine-member girl group waved the national flags of their home countries while appearing on the reality show “My Little Television,” which compiles the personal broadcasts of celebrities.
Although the footage involving the national flags was edited out before it aired on TV on Nov. 28 and Dec. 5, people could watch the full version online.
As a result, some pro-Chinese activists criticized the 16-year-old singer.
Twice debuted in the music scene in October and consists of Korean, Japanese and Taiwanese members, hoping to target a wider Asian audience.
By Sung So-young
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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