Actor Park Bo Gum is in hot water as he is criticized by Chinese netizens for a commercial (CF) they found offensive.
During the commercial, the actor was playing baduk (the board game also known as Go) with an opponent named “Great Wall of China.” When he won against the opponent and began celebrating, Chinese netizens say that it was offensive and meant to insult China.
With such strong reactions, it’s undoubtedly due in part to the recent political problems between China and Korea. China is trying to implement a ban on all things Hallyu by saying idols wouldn’t be allowed to air on TV. With tensions high already, Park Bo Gum is getting some extreme hate from China. Some netizens even saying “He’s trash!” and “It’s time for Chinese media to take action! Ban Koreans from Chinese broadcasts.”
While Chinese netizens criticize him and say it’s the actor’s fault, most Korean netizens are saying he did nothing wrong and it was just a poor choice by the people in charge of the commercial.
Do you think the criticism will blow over any time soon? Do you think he’s at fault or do you think netizens are just looking to criticize Koreans because of the recent political problems? Let us know in the comment section below!
Meanwhile, check out the controversial commercial below.