BTS j-hope is not being promoted and protected properly by his agency, said fans.
BTS basically built HYBE up from the ground, turning a small and struggling agency into an entertainment leader. Nevertheless, the group is being severely mistreated, with J-hope being one of the worst cases. As a result, fans of the male idol are pointing out the various mistreatments and demanding a solution.
On December 7th, fans’ grievances were compiled in an article published by the Korean media Top Star News. First, the news site pointed out that fans discovered that only j-hope’s solo album “Jack in the Box” was missing on the main screen of Big Hit Music’s official website. The page was later revised after facing intense fans’ protest.
Then, there is also the issue of security. After a solo performance at the 2022 MAMA Awards in Osaka, j-hope traveled to Tokyo for a recording, and returned to Korea via Gimpo Airport on December 3rd. However, the male idol lost his bag just before leaving the gate, but had no manager to assist him, and had to run around alone to recover his bag. Even worse, some fans also said that j-hope was alone without a manager when he returned from the US after a performance in August.
In addition, promotions surrounding the release of j-hope’s solo album “Jack in the Box” are also embroiled in controversy. First, the album only has one version, which consists of only a QR code and a photocard, and even the CD and lyric book were omitted. At the time, the agency claimed that they aim to protect the environment with such a move, but fans pointed out that other artists under HYBE still release a lot of physical versions.
On top of this, the delivery of “Jack in the Box” was initially announced to have been postponed. Big Hit later resumed the delivery date as normal, but only at the ire of fans. Moreover, the album was not available on overseas record sales sites such as Target and Amazon at the time of its release, leading to international fans struggling to support j-hope. Meanwhile, in Korea, fans who visit offline stores can only see a thin paper box containing QR codes, which is tied together with a rubber band.
While the company insisted that they have discussed the album format with j-hope himself, the anger of ARMY (fandom of BTS) over poor promotion did not subside.
In addition, an American DJ revealed that despite requesting HYBE for the file of j-hope “More” for broadcast on iHeartRadio, the agency completely ignored them.
Finally, “Jack in the Box” was released separately with a 15-day interval between the sound source and the album, and both domestic and overseas charts were adversely affected.
While the various voices of j-hope fans are being expressed, some fans are even expressing their opinions, saying, “I hope that j-hope will not sign a contract with Big Hit Music again in 2024.”
Source: Topstarnews
