Accusations that the Taiwanese member of the South Korean pop group TWICE, Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), was a “pro-Taiwanese independence” activist has caused China’s Huawei Technologies Co (華為) to demand LG Uplus drop Chou from endorsing its Y6 chain of cellphones.
According to reports by South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo yesterday, Huawei customer service personnel Chang Xiaoyun (張曉雲) posted on a Chinese microblogging service on Tuesday night that Huawei is demanding that LG Uplus drop all cooperation with Chou.
Chou endorsed the Y6 series of Huawei’s telephones, which has seen more than 20,000 sales in South Korea since its arrival last month, the online report said.
Photo: screen grab from the Internet
According to another report from South Korea’s CBS No Cut News, the sudden and unilateral decision by Huawei to stop cooperating with Chou was because Taiwanese singer Huang An (黃安) said Chou is a “pro-Taiwanese independence” activist.
Huang, despite being Taiwanese by birth, began developing his career in China in the late 1990s. Huang has made a name for himself in recent years by informing the Chinese government and netizens about what he regards as pro-Taiwanese independence individuals and their activities.
Chou is not the first Taiwanese celebrity to have been subjected to Huang’s tip-offs.
Photo: screen grab from the Internet
Chou was recently seen holding the Republic of China (ROC) and South Korean flags during a My Little Show taping on South Korean TV channel MBC.
Chou’s management agency, JYP Entertainment Corp, has canceled all of Chou’s shows in China and said her activities in China have been halted until the allegations have been clarified, the report said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) both responded in support of Chou yesterday.
Photo: Screengrab from the Internet
KMT Culture and Communications Committee director-general Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said that the KMT supported and affirmed Chou’s choice to develop her career abroad.
PFP presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜) praised Chou for the act of holding the flag, stating that to be Taiwanese is to support the continued existence of the ROC.
Meanwhile, Huang has returned to Taiwan ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday and is said to be fearing for his safety. Huang has reportedly written to former Bamboo Union (竹聯幫) gang leader Chang An-le (張安樂), known as “the White Wolf,” asking for protection.
Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times
Chang yesterday released online messages between himself and some friends, in which his friends said that Huang asked for protection due to Taiwanese singer Lai Ming-wei’s (賴銘偉) younger brother having “alleged connections” to the Bamboo Union.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old