Outrage surged after BTS received racist comments: ‘BTS is like a virus, their cover is blasphemy’
The fact that BTS was severely insulted by a German DJ has once again sparked a wave of anti-racism against Asians
Being an active K-pop artist in the international arena is not easy, especially when they face a lot of prejudices, stigma and racism because they are Asians. Even if BTS is already a very famous group and has received recognition from many people around the world, it does not help them avoid shocking insults.
Recently, BTS got severely insulting comments coming from a German Radio DJ for Bayern3 that made many people extremely angry. Accordingly, DJ Matthias Matuschik said that BTS’s name is an abbreviation of the word ‘COVID-19’, even wanting to ‘exile the group to North Korea’. In addition, the male DJ also insulted BTS’s recent cover of ‘Fix You’ on ‘MTV Unplugged’, even when the original singer Coldplay praised the group.
Here is the full comment made by DJ Matthias Matuschik:
‘BTS is like a trashy virus that hopefully there would be a vaccination against them soon. Nothing against South Korea. You can’t accuse me of xenophobia just because this boy band is from South Korea. I have a car from South Korea. I have the coolest car ever. I drive a South Korean car with a six-cylinder, twin-turbocharger, four-wheel drive, all the bells and whistles and a top speed of 270, Korea rules, well, South Korea.
But BTS, they actually have an MTV Unplugged now – with a boy band, Unplugged! That alone is paradoxical! And then little pissers brag about the fact that they covered Fix You from Coldplay, where I say: “This is blasphemy!” And that’s what I say as an atheist! This is sacrilege, for this you will be vacationing in North Korea for the next 20 years!’
Shortly thereafter, the recorded video of what DJ Matthias Matuschik said on the radio Bayern3 was shared with dizzying speed. BTS’s fandom in particular and Asians in general feel that this is serious racism and appropriate action should be taken immediately.
Many ARMYs gathered evidence together and sent to Big Hit. On the other hand, they also kept sending requests to the Bayern3 radio and DJ Matthias Matuschik to apologize for their disdainful behavior. Then, the Bayern3 radio also posted a response to the incident.
Explanation of the incident and apology of Bayern3 radio is as follows:
“It is the character of this show and also of the presenter to express his opinion clearly, openly and unvarnished. That’s why he overshot the mark in his choice of words in an attempt to present his opinion in an ironically exaggerated manner and with exaggeratedly feigned excitement, and thus hurt the feelings of the BTS fans. But, as he assured us, this was in no way his intention. He only wanted to express his displeasure about the above-mentioned cover version.”
The radio station added: “This is his personal opinion of taste, regardless of the band’s origin and cultural background. You don’t have to share this taste, nor do you have to share the rough expression. The story of Marhus and his actions, his posts in the past (to be read on his Facebook page and in various articles) clearly show that he is absolutely far from xenophobia and racism in any form. He has also tried to present this here, but does not change the fact that many of you have perceived his statements as hurtful or racist. We apologize for this in all form. We will work on the topic again with Matthias and the team in the next few days.”
However, after reading the explanation of Bayern3, BTS fans were even more angry because the radio station was just excusing the racist behavior of the German male DJ. On the other hand, DJ Matthias Matuschik himself did not have his own move about what happened.
The outrage of BTS fans and the public also continues to rise since no one can accept racism. A series of related hashtags such as #RassismusBeiBayern3, # Bayern3Racist, #Bayern3Apologize, APOLOGIZE TO BTS,… continuously entered the worldwide trending in many countries.
Amidst the controversy, popular record label Columbia Records – which is BTS’s music distributor in the US – made a Twitter post that supports BTS and opposes all forms of racism against Asians. In the black and white background picture, Columbia Records stated their position: ‘Columbia Records stand with the Asian community and condemned all forms of racism and xenophobic behavior. We must work together to strive for racial justice.’
The case of BTS receiving seriously racist comments also became a trending topic on Korean online forums. Here are some comments from Knetz on this issue:
– How dare this guy say that on the radio?
– I don’t expect anything from the Germans either.
– Coldplay even wrote in Korean to compliment their cover ‘beautiful’, yet this filthy man called it ‘blasphemy’?
– How is it possible that in a civilized world like today, there are still such uneducated spokespersons?!
– This is already 2021 and such thoughtless people still exist. A long-time DJ, also a radio host could speak like that?!
– Is this the fascist regime in modern times?!!!
– Racism is really uncivilized.
– Columbia Records post is very valuable at the moment.
– BTS has suffered many prejudices because they are Asian when working overseas.
– I wonder if this DJ is even human.
– Coldplay praised BTS and even wrote in Korean. So what does he think he is to insult BTS’s cover?
– But when I think about it, BTS only covered music but was also mentioned by radios in Germany. This group is famous beyond imagination.
Sources: tinnhac
