HONG KONG • South Korean boy band BTS are facing a barrage of criticism in China after their leader made remarks about the Korean War.

It resulted in several big-name brands, including Samsung, distancing themselves from the K-pop group amid the uproar.

The controversy is the latest example of the political landmines lying in wait for big brands in China, the world's second-largest economy.

The leader of BTS, known by the initials R.M., upset many people in China in a speech when the band received an award from a United States-based organisation for their contribution to South Korea-US relations.

R.M. invoked a "history of pain" shared between South Korea and the US and, referring to the Korean War (1950 to 1953), spoke of "sacrifices of countless men and women".

The war pitted South Korean and US forces against those from North Korea and China.

The comments touched off heated debate on social media in China.

"They should not make any money from China," one angry user said on the Weibo platform, referring to BTS.

"If you want to make money from Chinese fans, you have to consider Chinese feelings."

Posts featuring Samsung's BTS special-edition smartphones and earphones disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com as the controversy swirled.

BTS-related posts from other companies, including sports fashion brand Fila and car-maker Hyundai, which have endorsement deals with the seven-member group, also disappeared from their official Weibo accounts, Chinese users said.

It was not clear if the companies or someone else had removed the posts. Samsung, Fila and Hyundai did not respond to requests for comment when contacted by Reuters.

The band's management company, Big Hit Entertainment, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

REUTERS