Beijing: The Chinese social media Weibo banned a fan club of popular South Korean K-pop band BTS from posting for 60 days, claiming that the club had raised funds illegally, days after photographs of a customized airplane funded by the club went viral on social media.
In a statement Weibo said, “Weibo firmly opposes such irrational star-chasing behaviour and will deal with it seriously,” the statement said.
The fan club account, which has around 1.1 million followers on Weibo, was focussed on Jimin and his birthday on October 13.
China’s entertainment industry has witnessed a major shakeup this year as Xi Jinping hopes to reintroduce ‘nationalistic’ culture under its ‘Communist Revolution 2.0′. The reason behind the sudden throttle of celebrities and entertainment companies was evident through a recent statement by the Beijing Bureau of Radio, Film and Television which urged the industry to maintain and promote “core socialist values.” The government has dubbed talent shows, and netizens’ obsession with idols and actors as ‘unhealthy fan culture’.
