Korean Government is reported to have not covered the expenses of BTS’s business trip as presidential envoys in New York
It has been confirmed that the government didn’t cover any expenses such as travel, accommodation and food expenses for BTS on their business trip accompanying President Moon Jae In to New York as special presidential envoys.
It is reported that except for the travel time and break time, BTS members had accompanied President Moon as well as the First Lady Kim Jung Sook and Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwang Hee for three days there.
According to the “Details of the expenses related to the attending of the UN General Assembly” from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 30, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not pay any travel expenses to BTS. An official from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a telephone interview with Chosun.com, “There are no details of travel payment for BTS”
However, the same did not happen to other celebrities who had also been abroad as “presidential envoys”. It was confirmed that travel expenses were paid to Democratic Party’s national assembly member Woo Won-sik and actor Cho Jin Woong, who visited Kazakhstan as envoys during the transportation of General Hong Bum Do on the 15th of last month.
It is reportedly not the first time the government didn’t cover the expenses for BTS’s travel for the presidential events.
BTS departed from Incheon International Airport on the afternoon of September 18 and attended the 76th UN General Assembly held in New York on the 20th local time to deliver speeches on the opening session of the “Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment” and interviews with the UN. Shortly after the UN General Assembly, they followed Mrs. Kim to attend an event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The next day, on the 21st, the group had an interview with President Moon on ABC Broadcasting in the United States. On the 22nd, they were called to the exhibition of the Korean Cultural Center in New York with Minister Hwang.
BTS’s agency, Big Hit Entertainment, did not respond to an article on Chosun.com asking for their views on not being paid travel expenses.
Source: Nate
