A South Korean pop star, Kim Han-bin, also known as B.I in his role as leader of K-pop boy band iKON, opened several accounts on Chinese social media platforms such as Sina Weibo and Douyin. But, after a few days, he was denounced by Chinese netizens and all accounts were banned because of his history of drug abuse.
Kim was given a three-year suspended prison sentence and four years of probation for illegal drug use in September 2021. Many netizens found that he had posted some photos on his Sina Weibo account which was opened in May 2021, after the sentence had been published.
Kim continued to create accounts on Douyin, the Chinese version of Tiktok, and Chinese lifestyle app Xiaohongshu on the first day of 2022.
He announced the news on Sina Weibo, saying that he will often update content on the platforms. “Let’s contact more in the new year,” the star wrote.
The post caught the attention of many netizens and those who knew about his drug scandal in South Korea questioned if he should be allowed to be active on Chinese social media platforms as an entertainer with a history of misconduct.
As of Wednesday last week, Kim’s social media accounts, including those on Sina Weibo and Douyin, have been banned and all contents on account of Xiaohongshu have been vanished.
“Wherever entertainers come from, they should obey the law and social regulations, which is a bottom line. For those who have violated the law and were trapped in scandals, platforms should not let them speak out in front of the public without any punishment,” Feng, a former Chinese fan of iKON who left the fan club after knowing B.I’s behavior, told the Global Times.
Kim’s Chinese fan club wrote on Sina Weibo when the sentence of Kim was announced on September 10, 2021, saying that in the future, they will do their best to guide fans correctly, be cautious in words and actions, and do not defend Kim’s past.
Any celebrity that has been involved in drug abuse has been boycotted in China. The performance of Chinese singer Li Daimo in East China’s Anhui Province, was cancelled in October 2021 for his role in a drug scandal in 2014.
The authorities of Bengbu, in Anhui Province, were informed that Li, who was involved in drug deals, was going to perform at a local bar. Investigators arrived at the venue instantly and ordered the bar to stop the performance, the Xin’an Evening Paper reported.
Li’s performance cancellation came after another folk singer, Song Dongye, had a similar experience.
Taiwan-born actor Kai Ko’s every possible comeback has been boycotted by Chinese netizens as he was arrested in 2014 in Beijing for taking drugs.
“Celebrities who took drugs should be permanently banned from public sight,” said one netizen, noting that drug enforcers risk their lives to protect people from drugs.
Kim Han-bin File Photo: VCG
