By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - Until a year ago, only few people knew about Tzuyu, a 16-year-old Taiwanese member of Korean girl group TWICE. Indeed, she was not that popular even in her homeland. However, things have changed completely. Now, she is being treated as one of the hottest Korean idols as if she has been popular for several years.

Tzuyu of TWICE has turned into one of the hottest stars in China from anameless idol. Her every move has become a hot topic./ Source from searchengine Baidu

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It all started when she appeared on a Korean variety show in the second half of last year, and introduced herself as a Taiwanese while waving the flag of the Republic of China (used only in Taiwan and other islands under control of the Republic of China). Of course, Chinese people who advocate "One China" immediately expressed extreme over her supposed support for Taiwanese independence. She was attacked by Chinese netizens and eventually ended up making a public apology for the controversy she caused. However, the situation has gone the other way since then. Many Chinese agreed that she shouldn't have gone through such an ordeal, especially when they found she was just 16-years-old. In a twist of fate, Tzuyu's popularity skyrocketed in both Taiwan and China. Her popularity had a direct effect on the 2016 Taiwanese general election, which brought the downfall of a candidate of Kuomintang.

Tzuyu is so popular now that even her acceptance into Hanlim Multi Art School in Korea, following her graduation from middle school in Taiwan, has become a hot topic among Chinese. Nearly all online portals are full of articles about her.

Looking at the current situation, Tzuyu's popularity in China will continue to grow for a while. Given the fact that she is just a member of a girl group that has no hit songs, her incredible popularity is in fact strange. Perhaps, the flag controversy was a blessing in disguise.