"South Korea must apologize to BTS, and it doesn't deserve to have BTS." What caused BTS fans around the world to get angry?

Amid an ongoing government investigation into allegations of music chart manipulation involving BTS, the group's global fans are protesting by posting angry comments.

On the 5th, the hashtag "SOUTH KOREA APOLOGIZE TO BTS" appeared on the social media platform X as a trending topic in the K-pop category. Nearly 170,000 related posts were made on X.

The fans expressed their anger, stating, "South Korea doesn't deserve BTS," "BTS being born in South Korea was a mistake," "BTS is the reason South Korea has global recognition," "South Korea doesn't deserve to participate in the 2030 World Expo."

BTS's fanbase, known as "ARMY," issued a statement in some newspapers, in the form of a full-page advertisement. In the statement, they criticized HYBE, saying, "Even though BTS has no connection to this incident, HYBE is ignoring the significant damage caused by false news and rumors."

Some ARMY groups sent protest trucks with messages like "A company that uses artists serving in the military as shields" and "This isn't an agency!" to HYBE's headquarters in Yongsan, Seoul. They also sent funeral wreaths with phrases like "Neglected founder's rumors."

In response, BigHit Music issued an official statement on the 2nd, saying, "The allegations that damage BTS's reputation are untrue, and we've already filed an initial complaint with the authorities against spreading false rumors and defamation. We will continue monitoring and collecting evidence and will file additional complaints as needed."

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism's investigation into BTS's music chart manipulation allegations had already started. The case emerged when legal documents related to a 2017 extortion case were published online. A person named "A" was accused of extorting 57 million won from BigHit Music by threatening to release information about alleged illegal marketing practices related to BTS's albums if the money wasn't paid.

BigHit Music stated that "the inappropriate marketing activities mentioned by the perpetrator were merely his one-sided claims and that 'improper marketing' referred to ordinary online viral marketing."

THE COMMENTS: 

1. Why is it Korea's fault???
2. Just take them...
3. Just take them, you can have them.
4. Go ahead and take Bang Si-hyuk while you're at it.
5. As usual.
6. Take them, and while you're at it, take Bang too.
7. I feel generous! Take BTS and Bang Si-hyuk!
8. Koreans are the ones who suffered from their illegal marketing, not the other way around. Their sense of entitlement is funny.
9. Take them.
10. Go ahead, take them.
11. What a joke, haha.
12. Oh, come on.
13. Feeling generous!
14. Just take them and leave, please.
15. Feeling generous!
16. They think joking about the Expo will provoke Korean netizens... Not at all.
17. Hey, your idols aren’t that great in Korea, go back.
18. You can have them.
19. Just take them.
20. Isn't the Expo competition over? I wish it wasn’t happening, haha.
21. Sure, go ahead, take them.
22. Oh, come on, just take them and get out, what’s the big deal?
23. Buy one, get one free...
24. ??? What kind of entitlement? What are you even taking? Geez, calm down.
25. Yes, take them.
26. Shouldn't BTS apologize to Korea? They rose to fame with illegal hoarding.
27. Haha, just take them.
28. Please... just stop...
29. No one cares about a hoarding group, take them.
30. Just take them.
31. Go ahead, we won't stop you.
32. Take them, then.
33. You can have the hoarding group~
34. Go ahead and take them, it's ridiculous, haha.
35. Seriously, take them, you guys, haha.
36. Should world-famous stars be excused from the law because they are famous? What era do they think they're living in?
37. If I could give them to you, I would. You deal with this hoarding group.
38. These people are so dangerous... Should a nationally famous person be excused for every shortcut and cheating?
39. Feeling generous! Free giveaway!
40. Take BTS, Bang, and HYBE, just leave Min Hee-jin and NewJeans.
41. We never really had them to begin with.
42. Hahaha, take them.
43. They seem to think they're really something important.. Take them.. Hahaha.
44. Damn, take them.
45. Hahaha.. This is really funny, haha.
46. ....?? Korea is confused... Please, take them.
47. Take them, please.
48. Take the shady group, please.
49. Does "not related to the current situation" mean "not related to hoarding"? Does "rumor" mean that hoarding is just a rumor? What is going on? Even Korean fans asked BTS to distance themselves from hoarding. Why are these fans angry and blaming another country?
50. Take them.
51. I'm feeling generous! You can have Yoon Seok-youl and Bang Si-hyuk!
52. The court just said they did hoarding, why are they angry?
53. It seems this fandom campaigns against not just Korea but also abroad.
54. Take them, please.
55. Take them.
56. Return the medal and certificate, then take them... We don't need a fake group with no skills.
57. Hey, take them.
58. There they go again.
59. Take them all, please.
60. Oh... Take them, please.
61. Bang Si-hyuk is a genius, how did he fool even the foreigners?
62. Oh... Take them, BTS isn't the only Korean group.
63. Oh~ Oh~~ Yeah~~ Go ahead~~!
64. Take them, we in Korea don't want a hoarding group.
65. If we don't deserve them, let's give them away. Take them, just make sure to work things out with Bang.
66. Take them, they're just a hoarding group, we don't want them.
67. Are you going to apologize for deceiving people with hoarding? Haha.
68. Take them, haha.
69. What do you want?
70. Even Korean fans have the same opinion.
71. This isn't an exaggeration, they really do this, haha. If you look at X, you can see how they're bashing Korea hard, haha.
72. It's not just the embarrassment of hoarding rumors; seeing fans who support this behavior after all this is what's truly shameful.
73. These fans act like Korea became a developing country just because of BTS, it's ridiculous, haha.
74. I'm feeling generous!!! Take them all!!!!!
75. Korea was the victim of hoarding, so who should apologize? The company and group that did the hoarding, right? Watching this makes me feel ashamed.
76. Take them, and take Bang Si-hyuk too.
77. If they're saying this kind of nonsense, just take them.
78. It's always the same, even now, BTS will become the victim again, haha.
79. Take them, damn, why is BTS so important, haha.
80. Yes, take them.
81. Take them, haha.
82. How did they gain their popularity? Haha.
83. Return the medal and take them.
84. Should we consider them a cult? Because they shift the blame to others even when they make a mistake, how did it come to this? What a mess.
85. You take them. No returns.
86. ...but why do they keep positioning their oppas as the victims? Okay, just take them.
87. It's amazing how they gathered a group of artists who are all about exploiting things.
88. What nonsense, haha.
89. As soon as I saw the title, my first thought was: "Just take them."
90. Haha, this is hilarious. BTS and HYBE, they're just scammers who gained popularity and made money through hoarding. You can have them.
91. Be my guest, take them, haha.
92. Take them, and please take Bang Si-hyuk too.
93. What nonsense. Just take them.
94. Don't talk nonsense, learn Korean or something.
95. Okay, take them..
96. (They benefited the most, but) can't let go of the victim role.

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