Taiwanese K-pop singer Chuo Tzuyu's popularity largely increased after she controversially waved the flag of the Republic of China in an online-only segment of a South Korean reality show in November 2015.
Chuo is expected to receive even more than the $1.6 million she has already earned in her entertainment career, Yonhap has learned, as cited by Shanghaiist. Many accused the 16-year-old K-pop singer of profiting from her Mainland Chinese audience while keeping a pro-independence stance.
Chuo's agency JYP Entertainment said that she did not plan for the sudden surge in fame. The pop star's agency added that if she could weather this storm, she will be on the way to becoming a shining star.
The clip that started the controversy showed Chuo and her fellow girl group members facing the camera. Each member was waving the South Korean flag and the flag of their native country together.
While the scene did not appear on air, it was widely shared online in China. It was also brought up after fellow Taiwanese artist and pro-China singer Huang An drew attention to the segment. The incident ignited an unusual show of cooperation among the earlier presidential candidates from Taiwan's three major political parties.
On Jan. 16, Saturday, Chuo made a tearful apology for her actions in a video, which has now been viewed over 6.4 million times on YouTube. In the video, she is seen bowing to her audience and professing that there is only "One China" while profusely apologizing.
It is widely speculated that the singer's management forced her to make an apology to avoid upsetting mainlanders, which is a key market to the singer, South China Morning Post has learned.
Meanwhile, Chuo's agency was forced to cancel her appearances in China including a scheduled Chinese New Year concert by her girl group and an endorsement deal with Chinese smartphone giant Huawei in the South Korean market.
Chou is a Taiwanese singer and member of multi-national K-pop girl group Twice which also includes three Japanese female members. The girl group was formed through a reality TV show entitled "Sixteen."
Watch the video of Chuo's apology below:
