Ko Chen-tung Photo: VCG

 Although Actor Ko Chen-tung from the island of Taiwan, who was arrested six years ago for drug use, attended a movie premiere on Sunday, many netizens in Chinese mainland made it clear that they were not willing to forgive his past misbehavior. 

Ko attended the premiere in Taiwan of his film A Choo, which was originally scheduled for release in 2014 but was delayed due to the star's arrest. The film is set to hit theaters on the island on July 15.

According to a report from guancha.com, Ko cried at the premiere and complained tearfully that he has been experiencing some difficult times over the past few years and that he is trying to be brave.

However, many netizens in the Chinese mainland said that they do not think Ko, as an entertainer with a history of drug use, should be able to return to the industry.

More than 43,000 netizens took part in a poll posted on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo asking if they support Ko's film and whether Ko should be given another chance. About 93 percent of voters said they refused to do so, while 3,000 netizens were willing to wait for Ko to turn over a new leaf.

"Drugs are a line no one can cross. Especially for entertainers with influence among young people, those who take drugs should never enter the industry as their experience will affect teenagers," netizen "AiEven_V" commented on Sina Weibo.

Over the six years since his arrest, Ko has tried to make comebacks on several occasions but all of them were met with a surge of resistance from netizens in the Chinese mainland, the guancha.com report said.

He filmed a Chinese drama in 2015, but it was released only recently nd after he acted as a spokesperson for a US cosmetics brand in the island of Taiwan in 2018. Butthe brand was boycotted by netizens on Sina Weibo.