EXO Lay's studio canceled his contract with Samsung in support of the 'One-China policy'.
On August 13, Lay's studio announced on Weibo that they've reviewed the companies he endorses as a model, and because Samsung Electronic's global website does not follow the 'One-China policy', he's canceled his modeling contract with the company. The statement stated, "Samsung Electronics, which Lay is a model for, has unclear definitions of country and region on its official global site. The act of ambiguity about the integrity of our sovereignty and territory has severely hurt the national feelings of Chinese compatriots. We express our regret and state we cannot tolerate this."
The 'One-China policy' dictates companies must be clear when it comes to China's sovereignty over its territories, and the Samsung Electronic's global website failed to meet the policy's expectations, which resulted in Lay's contract termination with the Korean company. Lay has also been criticized for continuing to model for Versace, which apologized after listing Hong Kong and Macau as independent territories rather than a Chinese territory.
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I'm so disappointed and mad. I feel like this is the end of the line for me. Lay is an ambassador of China's Communist Youth Party, the very same party that currently puts Muslim citizens in concentration camps. His recent warning statement to Calvin Klein shows he supports China's oppression of Taiwan and Hong Kong, and he has made it obvious on his Weibo that he also supports China's claim of the countries located in the South China Sea. And now this news too...
I've made so many damn excuses for him over the years, but ffs I can't do it anymore. I don't know if he's being forced to do all these things by the government or not, but I feel like I'm doing something wrong if I continue supporting him either way. If he's in the pockets of the government then that means they benefit from my support of him, and if he's willingly a supporter of the Chinese government's inhuman politics, then he's not the man I thought he was. What the fuck is going on? God I can't help but wonder how many people end up sharing these right-wing ultranationalist views just because they idolize him. I'm so upset and conflicted. I guess I understand how some YG stans feel now.
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