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Pop Star’s Illicit Kiss Becomes Fodder for Government Ads in Hong Kong | Pop Star’s Illicit Kiss Becomes Fodder for Government Ads in Hong Kong |
(about 2 hours later) | |
HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government does not usually weigh in when the tabloids catch a pop star cheating. | HONG KONG — The Hong Kong government does not usually weigh in when the tabloids catch a pop star cheating. |
But this week, after the city was riveted by the scandal of a married singer caught on video kissing an actress, some government agencies were criticized for using it as fodder for jokes in public service announcements. | But this week, after the city was riveted by the scandal of a married singer caught on video kissing an actress, some government agencies were criticized for using it as fodder for jokes in public service announcements. |
A local newspaper, Apple Daily, published blurry footage online that it said showed the singer, Andy Hui, 51, cuddling in a car with Jacqueline Wong, a 30-year-old television actress. Mr. Hui and his wife, Sammi Cheng, a singer even more famous than he is, are royalty in the world of Cantonese pop music, or Cantopop, and the video was the talk of Hong Kong on Tuesday. | A local newspaper, Apple Daily, published blurry footage online that it said showed the singer, Andy Hui, 51, cuddling in a car with Jacqueline Wong, a 30-year-old television actress. Mr. Hui and his wife, Sammi Cheng, a singer even more famous than he is, are royalty in the world of Cantonese pop music, or Cantopop, and the video was the talk of Hong Kong on Tuesday. |
That evening, Mr. Hui apologized at a news conference that was broadcast live, calling himself “disgusting” and “rotten.” | That evening, Mr. Hui apologized at a news conference that was broadcast live, calling himself “disgusting” and “rotten.” |
“I am a broken person,” he said, announcing that he would take time off to find a “true and correct” version of himself. | “I am a broken person,” he said, announcing that he would take time off to find a “true and correct” version of himself. |
Within hours, city agencies had taken it upon themselves to join the conversation. | Within hours, city agencies had taken it upon themselves to join the conversation. |
On Facebook, the Buildings Department mocked Mr. Hui’s remorse in a post promoting renovations for dilapidated structures. It depicted a cracked concrete high-rise shedding tears in front of microphones, saying, “I am a broken building.” A hashtag in the caption — “I feel revolting and unfamiliar to myself” — also echoed Mr. Hui’s apology. | On Facebook, the Buildings Department mocked Mr. Hui’s remorse in a post promoting renovations for dilapidated structures. It depicted a cracked concrete high-rise shedding tears in front of microphones, saying, “I am a broken building.” A hashtag in the caption — “I feel revolting and unfamiliar to myself” — also echoed Mr. Hui’s apology. |
An anticorruption agency, meanwhile, warned (also on Facebook): “Don’t think that secrecy is enough to enable cheating. Digital footprints and eyes are everywhere.” | An anticorruption agency, meanwhile, warned (also on Facebook): “Don’t think that secrecy is enough to enable cheating. Digital footprints and eyes are everywhere.” |
And Hong Kong’s largest bus company used two cartoon mice — caught nibbling on cheese in a video frame, wearing a baseball cap associated with Mr. Hui and a pollution mask associated with Ms. Wong — to remind passengers about its no-food rule. | And Hong Kong’s largest bus company used two cartoon mice — caught nibbling on cheese in a video frame, wearing a baseball cap associated with Mr. Hui and a pollution mask associated with Ms. Wong — to remind passengers about its no-food rule. |
“Even if you sneakily bite you will be discovered,” the caption warned. “Don’t go viral!” | “Even if you sneakily bite you will be discovered,” the caption warned. “Don’t go viral!” |
Some commenters found the posts to be in poor taste, to say the least. One said the anti-corruption post was “built on the pain of others” and that the agency had “led the pack” in bullying the celebrities. | |
A moderator replied that the agency had been trying to share “correct concepts and information” through current events. | A moderator replied that the agency had been trying to share “correct concepts and information” through current events. |
The scandal has also raised concerns about privacy. It was unclear whether the video — which Apple Daily published with neon-colored markers keeping track of the couple’s caresses — was taken in a hired taxi or a private car, or how the tabloid had obtained the footage. But The South China Morning Post quoted a local lawmaker as saying that cabdrivers should be prevented from sharing videos of their passengers. Apple Daily did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | |
On Wednesday, Ms. Wong issued an apology of her own. And Ms. Cheng, 46 — a Cantopop star since the 1990s — said on Thursday that she forgave Mr. Hui, adding that marriage was not “a series of smooth, blissful moments.” | On Wednesday, Ms. Wong issued an apology of her own. And Ms. Cheng, 46 — a Cantopop star since the 1990s — said on Thursday that she forgave Mr. Hui, adding that marriage was not “a series of smooth, blissful moments.” |
“Together we will look squarely at each other’s weaknesses, not giving up on ourselves and not giving up on each other,” she wrote on Instagram. | “Together we will look squarely at each other’s weaknesses, not giving up on ourselves and not giving up on each other,” she wrote on Instagram. |