Photo: South Korean singer and actor Park Yuchun.

South Korean singer and actor Park Yuchun was reported to hold a fan meeting in Thailand but he is still in probation for buying and taking drugs, which sparks huge controversy on Chinese social media about if celebrities with criminal records can appear again. 

Park Yuchun, former member of the boy band JYJ, was sentenced to 10 months in prison and suspended for two years for purchasing and taking drugs in July. Before that, Park had been accused of sexual assault by four women in 2016.

Although the police in Seoul had removed his suspicion of rape after investigation, Park's public image has been destroyed. "I had been his fan but now his behaviors push me far away. I cannot forgive him for taking drugs," one of Park's former fans wrote on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo.

Park will hold a fan meeting "LOVE ASIA with PARK YUCHUN" in Bangkok in January during his two-year probation and the ticket prices are from $66 to $165, according to a report of local media.

The event has sparked opinion battle among Chinese netizens.

Some of them boycotted the event. "How can a criminal still hold public activity and make money? Does he really regret his crimes?" a Sina Weibo user commented.

These netizens doubted that Park has never realized how serious his crime is and said he should continue self-examination at home instead of attending public activities.

But other net users defend Park, saying that the fan meeting is a charity event and the proceeds will be donated, so Park holds this activity is for the public, not for making money.

" 'Love Asia' is a charity event and Yuchun's fan meeting is a part of it. His aim is to help others," one netizen wrote.

Some of Park's Chinese fans seem not to be convinced of his drug taking crime and insisted that his case has many unclarified questions.

Whether celebrities with criminal records can come back has been a focused issue among Chinese netizens. 

For example, Kai Ko, actor from the island of Taiwan, was reported to come back and play a role in a new TV drama recently, five years after being arrested for taking drugs. The related hashtag has been viewed more than 920 million times on Sina Weibo.

Few netizens support him to come back again and said they will reject celebrities who took drugs all the time. "This is our bottom line. Even if you are a celebrity, you have no privilege after you break national laws," a Weibo user wrote.

Global Times