K-pop idols always face massive attention online for whatever they wear or say. Hence, they think carefully before speaking or acting to avoid trouble. But sometimes, things still go wrong. This happened recently with IVE’s Wonyoung. She suddenly faced strong criticism from Chinese netizens after a backstage video appeared to show her calling Hong Kong a “country”. The moment sparked outrage and heated debates across social media. Read on to know!
The entire controversy began with a backstage video that IVE posted on YouTube from the 2025 MAMA Awards. In the clip, Wonyoung looked happy and said Hong Kong was one of her favourite countries. She used the Korean word “nara”, which means “country”. She also talked about wanting to try delicious food like Peking duck and hoped everyone enjoyed the show.
Wonyoung’s comment spread like wildfire on Chinese social media platforms. Many people there got upset because China sees Hong Kong as part of its own land, not a separate country. Soon, they started trending hashtags on Weibo, and some fans called for a boycott of Wonyoung or even the whole group.
Still, not all reactions were negative. Many fans came forward to protect her. They explained that the word “country” can sometimes mean a place or area. Fans also added that there was an issue in the subtitles. Hence, they expressed anger at the agency for publishing the video without checking it carefully.
It’s also surprising for fans because the K-pop idol gained immense love and attention from the people in China.
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As of January 2, 2026, neither Wonyoung nor her agency, Starship Entertainment, has said anything official about the situation. On the other hand, the online debate keeps on going, with Chinese netizens bashing her and fans defending her.
What are your thoughts on the above situation?
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