A screenshot of the fans club's Sina Weibo account 

 

A Chinese fan club of Choi Si-won, a member of South Korea's top band Super Junior, announced it would halt operations because they will not "concede an inch" when it comes to love for China after Choi "liked" a news report in support of Hong Kong rioters. 

The Choi Si-won Forum announced on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo on Monday that they left the last post for fans to say goodbye to their long-loved idol.

"The forum started from small love [to Choi], and will end due to the great love [for our country]," the announcement said.  

Some fans followed the club operators, and many netizens applauded their patriotism and the restrained manner they express it. 

The announcement came after Choi "liked" a Sunday report by South Korean media outlet The Chosun Ilbo, which glamorized Hong Kong rioters, on Twitter.

The "like" was later removed and Choi made "sincerest apologies" on Weibo on late Sunday for the controversy he caused which disappointed the public. He noted he just wanted to show his hope for the end of violence in Hong Kong

But Chinese fans and netizens were not convinced, and a typical comment said, "Do you know what's going on in Hong Kong? Find out who is using violence if you really want to comment on the issue." 

A fan from Shanghai, who had followed Choi's band for 11 years, told the Global Times on Monday that Choi was irresponsible when he judged another country's internal affairs before seeing the whole picture. 

Chinese fans are just expressing their feelings and how serious his act was. Choi had to pay the price for his mistake, a fan surnamed Xu said.

Choi, also the Regional Ambassador for UNICEF East Asia and Pacific, once said at a South Korean variety show that "I think it's dangerous for a celebrity to get involved in politics," according to screenshots of the show circulating online.  

Choi became a hit in China after he and supermodel Liu Wen performed as a couple on a Chinese romantic variety show in 2015.