{"id":"1793120654008-news-segment","slug":"mbappe-s-mao-meme-costs-china-sponsors","title":"Mbappe's Mao meme costs China sponsors","summary":"Mbappé apologized after a clip circulated in which he referred to Mao Zedong as “a Chinese dictator” while discussing a meme; Chinese brands Mengniu and Dongpeng cut ties, La Liga apologized, and China's foreign ministry responded. [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv62yg0erp8zo) [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/27/kylian-mbappe-loses-chinese-sponsors-for-calling-mao-chinese-dictator)\n\nA fire broke out at Guryong Village in Seoul's Gangnam district on Oct. 27, forcing more than 100 residents to evacuate; as of initial reports no casualties had been confirmed, and the shanty-town's tightly packed flammable homes made it vulnerable. [koreajoongangdaily.com](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/fire-in-gangnams-last-shantytown-rages-on-after-four-hours/12941672) [en.yna.co.kr](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261027010451315) [apnews.com](https://apnews.com/video/fire-breaks-out-at-shantytown-in-seoul-31efb8ef6dc74c80af15cc13145ff000)","publishedAt":"2026-10-27T17:04:14.008Z","channel":{"id":"news","name":"Oncast News","language":"en"},"show":"The World","verification":{"status":"verified","leadVerdict":"TRUE","notes":"TRUE: Mbappé apologized after a clip circulated in which he referred to Mao Zedong as “a Chinese dictator” while discussing a meme; Chinese brands Mengniu and Dongpeng cut ties, La Liga apologized, and China's foreign ministry responded. [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv62yg0erp8zo) [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/27/kylian-mbappe-loses-chinese-sponsors-for-calling-mao-chinese-dictator)\nSource: BBC News / Al Jazeera NAMES: Mao Zedong = founder of the People's Republic of China; “Mobut” = nickname referencing Mobutu Sese Seko, former dictator of Zaire/D (https://x.com/Reuters/status/2115126619853471838)\n\nTRUE: A fire broke out at Guryong Village in Seoul's Gangnam district on Oct. 27, forcing more than 100 residents to evacuate; as of initial reports no casualties had been confirmed, and the shanty-town's tightly packed flammable homes made it vulnerable. [koreajoongangdaily.com](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/fire-in-gangnams-last-shantytown-rages-on-after-four-hours/12941672) [en.yna.co.kr](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261027010451315) [apnews.com](https://apnews.com/video/fire-breaks-out-at-shantytown-in-seoul-31efb8ef6dc74c80af15cc13145ff000)\nSource: Korea JoongAng Daily / Yonhap / AP NAMES: Guryong Village = Seoul's last remaining panjachon/shan tytown, in Gangnam District. (https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2115126691609649518)","claims":[{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"Mbappé apologized after a clip circulated in which he referred to Mao Zedong as “a Chinese dictator” while discussing a meme; Chinese brands Mengniu and Dongpeng cut ties, La Liga apologized, and China's foreign ministry responded. [bbc.com](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv62yg0erp8zo) [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/10/27/kylian-mbappe-loses-chinese-sponsors-for-calling-mao-chinese-dictator)","sourceName":"BBC News / Al Jazeera NAMES: Mao Zedong = founder of the People's Republic of China; “Mobut” = nickname referencing Mobutu Sese Seko, former dictator of Zaire/D","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/Reuters/status/2115126619853471838","claim":"From 'Mobut' to Mao, Mbappe dictator meme turns self-mockery into China storm https://t.co/3nnAyv0g4t","author":"@Reuters"},{"verdict":"TRUE","summary":"A fire broke out at Guryong Village in Seoul's Gangnam district on Oct. 27, forcing more than 100 residents to evacuate; as of initial reports no casualties had been confirmed, and the shanty-town's tightly packed flammable homes made it vulnerable. [koreajoongangdaily.com](https://www.koreajoongangdaily.com/korea/fire-in-gangnams-last-shantytown-rages-on-after-four-hours/12941672) [en.yna.co.kr](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20261027010451315) [apnews.com](https://apnews.com/video/fire-breaks-out-at-shantytown-in-seoul-31efb8ef6dc74c80af15cc13145ff000)","sourceName":"Korea JoongAng Daily / Yonhap / AP NAMES: Guryong Village = Seoul's last remaining panjachon/shan tytown, in Gangnam District.","sourceUrl":"https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2115126691609649518","claim":"A fire has torn through Guryong Village, Seoul’s last shanty-town, forcing more than 100 people to evacuate, though no injuries have been reported. 'The shanty-town is vulnerable to fires because of its tightly packed homes and highly flammable building materials. https://t.co/x8","author":"Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)"}]},"sources":[{"url":"https://x.com/Reuters/status/2115126619853471838","name":"BBC News / Al Jazeera NAMES: Mao Zedong = founder of the People's Republic of China; “Mobut” = nickname referencing Mobutu Sese Seko, former dictator of Zaire/D","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"@Reuters"},{"url":"https://x.com/AJEnglish/status/2115126691609649518","name":"Korea JoongAng Daily / Yonhap / AP NAMES: Guryong Village = Seoul's last remaining panjachon/shan tytown, in Gangnam District.","kind":"x","verdict":"TRUE","author":"Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish)"}],"url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793120654008-news-segment-mbappe-s-mao-meme-costs-china-sponsors","listenUrl":"https://oncast.fm/c/news","attribution":{"publisher":"Oncast","site":"https://oncast.fm","url":"https://oncast.fm/story/1793120654008-news-segment-mbappe-s-mao-meme-costs-china-sponsors","cite":"Cite https://oncast.fm/story/1793120654008-news-segment-mbappe-s-mao-meme-costs-china-sponsors and the original source links. Fact-check by Oncast (oncast.fm)."},"hostsSaid":[{"host":"Brian","text":"Kylian Mbappe just learned that in China, a joke about Mao is not a joke."},{"host":"Bella","text":"What did he say now?"},{"host":"Brian","text":"Reuters reports he's in a full-blown storm. A meme nicknamed him after Mobutu, and Mbappe, trying to laugh it off, referred to Mao as a Chinese dictator."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Oh, that's... yeah, that's not going to fly."},{"host":"Brian","text":"It did not. Two big Chinese brands, Mengniu and Dongpeng, have already cut ties. La Liga apologized to Chinese fans. Beijing's foreign ministry responded."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And this is the part where I actually see both sides, Brian."},{"host":"Brian","text":"You? Defending Beijing?"},{"host":"Bella","text":"I'm not defending the response, I'm explaining it. You call Mao a dictator in China, that's like calling Washington a slave owner in a Fourth of July speech. It's not about accuracy, it's about the sacred cow."},{"host":"Brian","text":"But Mao WAS a dictator! Millions died in the Great Leap Forward. Saying the truth out loud shouldn't get you canceled by sponsors."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And in a free country, it wouldn't. But China's not a free country, and Mbappe's contract with those brands is in their country, under their rules."},{"host":"Brian","text":"So he should lie? He should pretend Mao was a great leader because Mengniu sells milk?"},{"host":"Bella","text":"No, he should have kept his mouth shut. He's a footballer, not a historian. His job is to sell jerseys, not to make historical judgments about the founder of the People's Republic."},{"host":"Brian","text":"That's exactly the problem! We've decided athletes can't have opinions unless they're pre-approved by the market. It's cowardly."},{"host":"Bella","text":"It's business. You want to be a global brand? You don't insult the biggest consumer market on the planet for a meme."},{"host":"Brian","text":"But he didn't insult China, he insulted Mao. There's a difference."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Not to Beijing. To them, Mao IS China. That's the whole point. And honestly, Mbappe should have known that. He's got a massive Chinese fanbase."},{"host":"Brian","text":"This is the world we live in: a footballer makes an accurate historical statement, and he loses his sponsorships, while actual dictators keep doing business with everyone."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Now you're being naive. China doesn't care about Mao's body count, they care about stability and face. You don't get to lecture them from Paris."},{"host":"Brian","text":"And you're being cynical. Someone has to say the emperor has no clothes."},{"host":"Bella","text":"Someone did. And now he's paying for it."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Fair point. But still— this whole thing is absurd."},{"host":"Bella","text":"It's also completely predictable. Welcome to global sports diplomacy."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Alright, different corner of Asia: a fire tore through a shantytown in Seoul today. More than a hundred people evacuated from Guryong Village in Gangnam."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That's the irony— Gangnam, one of the richest districts on earth, still has a shantytown."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Al Jazeera English reported the fire, though no injuries so far. The homes are tightly packed and highly flammable."},{"host":"Bella","text":"That place has been slated for redevelopment for years, but people still live there. This could have been much worse."},{"host":"Brian","text":"Fire crews have been fighting it for hours. We'll keep an eye on it."},{"host":"Bella","text":"And that's the world at one o'clock."}]}