Before that, many controversies broke out when the Korean government was said to be late in paying BTS fees.
Recently, the Korean government was heavily criticized by the domestic media regarding the delay in paying BTS salaries. According to Korean media outlets, BTS helped promote Korea’s image when appearing at the 76th United Nations General Assembly session not only as the President’s Special Envoy but also as artists since they both made a speech and performed the hit ‘Permission To Dance’.
On October 14, the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism clarified that the Korean government had signed a service contract with BTS before they performed at the United Nations in September. That performance aired on September 20, 2021, and BTS has been confirmed to have completed the mission and is eligible for payment. However, due to some administrative issues, the Korean Government has problems with payment and is trying its best to pay the deposit as soon as possible.
Earlier, the controversy arose when Mr. Kim Seung Soo – a member of the Korean National Assembly was asked whether the Government had paid a fee of 717 million won (~$600,000) to BTS. At that time, Mr. Park Jung Ryeol – an official in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism replied that the money had not been paid.
However, not long after, on October 1, Tak Hyun Min, the press secretary of the ruling party, expressed anger at the news. Mr. Tak confirmed that the amount of 717 million won including the cost of air tickets, hotels, meals,… for 7 BTS members and 49 other employees during the business trip to New York had been paid. The inconsistency in the statements from the two sides caused the Korean public to debate whether there was any mystery surrounding the incident.
The Blue House’s secretary of protocol Tak Hyunmin clarified once again about the incident on Oct 15th. He said, “It is both the government and their agency’s position that the payment decision is no different from the payment, and even those who receive the expense say there is no problem”.
Secretary Tak said on his Facebook later that day, “BTS and their agency have no complaint at all. The past achievements and what we did are still like a dream, and it is natural for the government to learn through procedures and processes”.
Source: imaeilnews, Facebook
