Should Chinese K-pop stars bow? Culture clash hots up, sparked by China-Korea Olympics controversies

Contentious decisions at the Beijing Olympics have prompted fierce debate between Korean and Chinese internet users – which has spilled over into K-pop

Chinese members of pop groups are being slated for not bowing like their Korean counterparts, but some experts argue fans should ‘respect cultural differences’

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Chinese members of K-pop groups, like Ningning (third from left) of Aespa, are being criticised for not bowing like their Korean counterparts. Photo: @aespa_official/Instagram

Published: 4:25pm, 18 Feb 2022Updated: 5:07pm, 18 Feb 2022

By Dong Sun-hwa

Anti-China sentiment triggered by recent Winter Olympics controversies has spilled over to K-pop, with internet users quarrelling over whether Chinese K-pop stars should bow like Koreans even though both cultures have different customs.

The heated debate started a few days after Korean short-track skater Hwang Dae-heon was disqualified from the men’s 1,000-metre semi-finals during the Beijing Olympics on February 7, despite finishing first.

In the wake of his disqualification – which most Koreans believe was because of unfair officiating – two Chinese skaters advanced to the final and ended up winning gold and silver. The incident has prompted an online war between Korean and Chinese people, with the former insisting that the host country’s athletes were given home advantage.

Korean short-track skater Hwang Dae-heon (centre) during an event at the Beijing Olympics. Photo: AP

As the war of words continued, some Koreans switched their target to Ningning, a Chinese member of the K-pop girl group Aespa, who celebrated the Chinese team’s success after it clinched its first gold medal in the short-track speedskating mixed team relay on February 5.

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