Comments disabled on BTS's Instagram after RM angers Chinese netizens

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Comments disabled on BTS's Instagram after RM angers Chinese netizens

BTS member RM, left, uploaded a clip of short-track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon coming in first in the 1,000-meter semi-final race at the Beijing Olympics, right, on Monday. [ILGAN SPORTS, SCREEN CAPTURE]

BTS member RM, left, uploaded a clip of short-track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon coming in first in the 1,000-meter semi-final race at the Beijing Olympics, right, on Monday. [ILGAN SPORTS, SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
Big Hit Music decided to disable the comment function on BTS’s official Instagram page on Wednesday in a bid to put an end to a war between Chinese netizens and BTS fans, known as ARMY.  
 
The K-pop boy band’s Instagram has been under attack since Monday by Chinese netizens who have been posting malicious comments and vomiting emojis on its latest posts to protest against BTS member RM. RM made a post to cheer for an Olympic athlete on his Instagram. As the comment function has always been disabled for RM’s Instagram, netizens took their anger to BTS’s official Instagram.  
 
RM’s post, uploaded on Monday, was an Instagram story, showing a clip of short-track speed skater Hwang Dae-heon coming in first in the 1,000-meter semi-final race at the Beijing Olympics. RM added two emojis with the clip, one clapping and the other showing a thumbs up.  
 
However, the race became a controversial one and angered Koreans, who also didn’t hesitate to express their feelings online. Despite coming in first, Hwang was disqualified for making contact with a Chinese athlete when Hwang also appeared to have been pushed by the Chinese skater. The Chinese skater was not penalized.  
 
Fans of BTS leaving a slew of purple hearts to move down malicious comments on BTS's official Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Fans of BTS leaving a slew of purple hearts to move down malicious comments on BTS's official Instagram. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
ARMY began their retaliation by posting a slew of purple hearts to move down hate comments. The color purple represents BTS fandom and the group. BTS's official Instagram’s latest post, which is not even a proper post but one corner of a larger image, received more than 25,000 comments before the agency disabled the comment function. 
 
The war has not yet moved to other platforms.  
 

BY YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joongang.co.kr]
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