Last month, (G)I-DLE’s Shuhua was spotted in photos next to Kai Ko Chen Tung at his birthday gathering in Taiwan, along with other celebrities. This pleasant surprise turned into a backlash on Chinese social media. Many were critical of Shuhua for associating with him.
Kai Ko Chen Tung’s Drug Scandal from 10 Years Ago
Taiwanese actor Kai Ko Chen Tung, who became a breakout star after the success of “You Are the Apple of My Eye” in 2011, faced a huge setback when Beijing police arrested him and Jacky Chan’s son Jaycee Chan on August 18, 2014, for testing positive for marijuana. Despite Kai Ko’s resurgence in his career with successful acting projects and now also directing, it appears the decade-old drug scandal still carries a stigma among Chinese netizens.
Instagram Post Sparks Dating Rumors
Recently, Shuhua posted on Instagram, “Hey ~ i love you 💋” clearly a promotional lyric for their song. However, Kai Ko leaving a comment with three smiley emojis, ignited dating rumors between them that further worsened the backlash. Comments directed at Kai Ko urged him to leave Shuhua alone, such as a Netizen saying “you’re reputation’s already so bad, don’t drag her down.”
Responses to the Backlash
(G)I-dle’s agency Cube Entertainment quickly shut down the rumors saying there’s no factual basis to it.
When asked about it during his recent public appearance, Kai Ko Chen Tung who has since deleted his comment explained that he was just passing by, left a comment, and that he apologizes for causing trouble. It appears the backlash also affected the actor who took to Instagram Story to express his frustration.
Shuhua also seemingly addressed the issue when she posted an IG Story with the writing, “If everything is pure and light, maybe life will be better.” She also said, “Reputation will always be bestowed by the outside world, just know that I am still a “person”. Don’t forget that you are precious and priceless. You are not a slave to various voices.” She thanked fans for their love and responded to her bashers saying, “Please don’t cause trouble with useless (malice).”
What Actually Happened at the Birthday Gathering
Johnny Yang, who was also celebrating his birthday at the gathering with his wife Beatrice Fang, clarified the situation. He revealed that famed TV host Matilda Tao and her husband had invited them to dine along with Alyssa Chia and husband. Matilda had told him, “A beautiful girl will join,” and they were surprised when it turned out to be Shuhua. This led the ecstatic Johnny Yang to share a photo of their meeting. As for Kai Ko, he was in another room and came over, resulting in the group photo that everyone talked about.
Nonetheless, Shuhua, who’s a Taiwanese member of (G)I-dle that has quite the fanbase in China finds herself somewhat expected to make her stance clear about certain political views, which she has not, that even her association with Matilda Tao who was once labelled pro-Taiwan independence has been questioned by some C-Netz.
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