Chinese K-pop star Lay Zhang drops Samsung over website territory row

Star’s agent said singer rejected ‘all ambiguous references to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity’

Boy band artist continues ties with Calvin Klein, which also draws offending distinction between China and its neighbours

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K-pop star Lay Zhang is offended by Samsung listing Hong Kong and Taiwan as separate from China. Photo: AFP

Published: 7:30pm, 14 Aug 2019Updated: 4:27pm, 18 Feb 2020

A Chinese K-pop star has cancelled his contract with Samsung Electronics after the South Korean giant became the latest international brand to be accused of damaging China’s “territorial integrity”.

The agent of Lay Zhang Yixing, a member of the South Korean boy band Exo, said the singer rejected all ambiguous references to China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The statement was prompted by Samsung offering separate language options for users in Hong Kong, China and Taiwan on its global website. The three appeared as choices in a list of countries or regions.

The world’s leading smartphone maker had “seriously hurt the national feelings of our compatriots, which we strongly condemn”, Zhang said on the band’s official Weibo account on Tuesday.

Samsung Electronics has had an endorsement relationship with K-pop act Exo since 2012. Photo: AFP

Zhang had been a Samsung brand ambassador in China since December, while Exo began endorsing the company’s goods in 2012.