IVE Jang Wonyoung recently showed off a phoenix hairpin in Paris, but Chinese media argue it’s “cultural theft”.
On October 17th, Chinese media NetEase addressed the phoenix-shaped hairpin (Phoenix hairpin) that Jang Wonyoung, who visited Paris, France, showed in a vlog recently released through the YouTube channel of Vogue.
In particular, the media said, “I didn’t expect Jang Wonyoung to claim out loud that it is Korean fashion. She must have not known.”
NetEase then argued that the phoenix and dragon are traditional and symbolic patterns of China, and that “there are also hairpins in Korea, but the hairpins with the phoenix pattern are unique to China.”
They also cited the angry reactions of Chinese netizens, who said, “Isn’t she stealing our traditional culture?”, “This is an intolerable problem,” and “If she didn’t know that phoenix hairpin was a Chinese item, she should have corrected and apologized.”
In addition, the media mentioned old rumors of Jang Wonyoung having Chinese origins as if those were true, saying, “If Jang Wonyoung originates from China, then there is no way she would not know that the phoenix hairpin is Chinese. Yet she said that the hairpin is Korean, she forgot the basics of the history and culture of her original country.”
Finally, NetEase added, “Our history and traditional culture are very old, so we welcome learning, but we absolutely do not tolerate theft.”
Earlier, Jang Wonyoung suffered from rumors that she was originally from China through a YouTuber. In response, Starship Entertainment, the agency, filed a complaint last month on the grounds of spreading false information and malicious slander.
Meanwhile, Jang Wonyoung, who was born in 2004 and is 18 years old this year, was active as a member of IZ*ONE after landing first place in the Mnet survival show “Produce 48”. After IZ*ONE’s disbandment, she made a re-debut with famous girl group IVE.
