Wang Yiren (Everglow) was ostracized by the Korean audience, had to "go home" because he refused to kneel

A Chinese member named Wang Yiren of K-pop group Everglow has received heavy criticism and attacks on social media.

This is said to be a "consequence" after she used traditional Chinese etiquette when greeting fans, instead of kneeling like her Korean bandmates.

Female singer Wang Yiren appeared with members of the group Everglow at an event on January 2 to greet fans in Seoul. While the other members knelt close to the ground and touched their foreheads to the floor in the traditional Korean style, Wang used Chinese hand gestures, holding hands and greeting with palms. This is a gesture to express thanks and happy new year in her country.

In Chinese culture, kneeling is considered a gesture of privilege, usually reserved for parents only. This practice is no longer considered appropriate for modern society. In Korea, the act of kneeling is still performed by people as a way to greet others and give thanks.

While Wang's gesture was widely praised in China, Koreans were quick to attack the move online: "Return to China"; "Don't make m.oney i.n Korea anymore"... One comment on the K-pop news site allkpop wrote: "All of this shows the Chinese are arrogant and don't respect or value other cultures. ". Another wrote: "Stop making m.oney from Korea and go back to your country".

However, Chinese fans have praised her stance and defended the singer online, with the hashtag trending "Wang Yiren, the Chinese don't kneel" after a photo of the event was posted on Facebook. Everglow's Weibo account. One person commented on Weibo: "Chinese people don't kneel". "I'm proud of this female idol, she always keeps the Chinese tradition," another said.

Netizens say that this irony situation is caused by cultural differences between the two countries that have put artists like Wang in unnecessary trouble. "If you kneel, you will be scolded by Chinese netizens and if you don't kneel, you will be criticized by Korean netizens. It's really hard to be an artist!", one user said. .

Neither Wang nor Everglow's Korean agency, Yue Hua Entertainment, would be available for comment. However, Yue Hua Entertainment has released an announcement to fans that Wang will be returning to China until next month to see his family and pursue his studies.

"Yiren has to return to China from mid-January to late-February due to her studies, so she will be taking a break there for a while to spend time with her family, whom she hasn't seen in a long time. for a long time because of Covid-19. Everglow will continue domestic activities with the five members and carry out their schedules as planned," the company said.

Cultural differences have been a cause of tension between the two countries in the past. In January 2021, quite a famous social media user from China, Li Zi That, caused controversy when she promoted a recipe for making "traditional Chinese pickles" that many people in Korea considered traditional Korean food and accused her of "stealing" the culture. Accordingly, Ly Tu That demonstrated the recipe in a video in which she picks up vegetables, using the same method as making kimchi and adding the hashtags #ChineseCuisine and #ChineseFood (Chinese cuisine).

Controversies on social media, tensions over cultural differences are said to have escalated in recent years. Because, before that, actions like Wang's were not controversial in Korea.

In 2018, two Chinese members of K-pop group SEVENTEEN attending a Korean talent variety s.how were informed that they didn't need to kneel while the other Korean members still carry out traditional New Year greetings.

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