BTS members Jimin and Jungkook faced an unfortunate incident in New York recently: a seafarer made xenophobic comments about them, earning backlash from fans.

Jungkook, who was in the U.S. promoting his new solo single “Seven” was traveling with Jimin. They intended to enjoy some leisure time on a yacht trip in New York. However, their private outing took an unpleasant turn when the yacht’s captain said disrespectful, xenophobic things about them.

The captain recorded videos of Jimin and Jungkook, who were unaware they were being filmed. He later shared the videos on his Instagram story, infuriating ARMY. In one of the videos, the captain said, “The dude in charge, he was all, ‘You need to put your phones away.’ I said, ‘Listen, bro, they’re getting on my boat, not the other way around.’” 

The fans saw the captain’s words as a clear display of xenophobia. Consequently, they mass-emailed BigHit Music, BTS’s management company, informing them of the situation. They urged BigHit Music to sue the captain for invading the artists’ privacy and making xenophobic comments.

How ARMY fought for Jimin and Jungkook

In response to the incident, ARMY began boycotting the yacht company. The backlash was so severe that the yacht company pulled its official website (https://www.setadriftyachtcharters.com/) offline for a while. (It’s back up now.) The captain and the company deactivated or set their social media accounts to private.

This incident isn’t the first time Korean artists encountered racism and xenophobia while promoting outside their native land. As of this writing, BTS fans worldwide are awaiting a response from the yacht company and for HYBE Corporation, BigHit Music’s parent company, to take appropriate action regarding the invasion of privacy.

This incident serves as a reminder of the challenges K-pop artists face while promoting abroad. It also underscores the power of fans who stand up against terrible behavior to ensure their idols get the respect they deserve. -K-Pop News Writer

Featured Image: As always, Jimin and Jungkook were together on the “Yet to Come” MV Shoot set. Source: YouTube/BTS’s official YouTube channel.