Australian public broadcaster Channel 9’s news program “20 to One” has sparked controversy by covering content about the group BTS with racist and hateful comments.
“20 to One” which aired on June 19th night (KST), covered news about the popularity of K-pop star BTS. The content, however, featured a number of interviews, including that of an Australian comedian, which is full of racist, sexist and xenophobic remarks against BTS throughout the show.
First, the female news host said, “At number 18 is the biggest boy band you have never heard of” to which the male host answered: “I’ve never heard of them” as a ment to start talking about BTS.
They describe the boy group as “A global craze is so popular that it could heal the rift between South And North Korea, provided Kim Jong-un is well into boy bands“. “When I first heard something Korean had exploded in America, I got worried. So I guess coulda been worse, but it’s no much worse”, one man said in the interview, mocking BTS’ popularity by comparing it to inter-Korean issues.
“They are the first Korean act to have a number one in America which has made it even more impressive when only one band member actually speaks English“, the host then continues. Another one said sarcastically, “I have no idea what they are singing about but these guys are great. The choreo is great, the singing…possible,” followed by an edited scene where a member made a vocal mistake on stage during a performance.
BTS’ historic footprint – the UN speech – was also a mere target of ridicule for them. One interviewer burst into laughter, saying, “(What did they talk about at their UN speech?) I’m gonna say hair product.”
Sex discrimination was also a prominent problem. “These fans are hardcore? I asked if any of them were gay and just even asking that question upset these fans so much“. He implied that there must be a gay one among 7 men by mockingly saying, “It’s just math”.
The broadcast is shocking because it is laced with all kinds of abhorrence. These are not things that can be broadcasted publicly. Some Internet users even vented their anger by sharing the opinion that Australia is famous for its racism.
ARMY community is extremely furious. They are demanding an official apology from the broadcast station and those who are related. They are calling for a worldwide trending of the hashtags “#channel9apologize #channel9apologize #channel9apologetoBTS @20toOne @Channel9” to criticize this racist actions.
Source: nate
