A BTS band member has created controversy in Japan after allegedly wearing a t-shirt that shows "an atomic bombing juxtaposed with the celebration of Korea's liberation from Japan after World War II." -Tokyo Associated Press
BTS was slated to perform on the Japanese live music show "Music Station" November 9th
The groups is still supported with Universal Music however, fans in Japan are very upset about missing seeing BTS live on the program. Twitter in Japan featured alot of distain for the incident, along with fans being upset that it was cancelled over "just a t-shirt".
A CNN Report writes
"'The furor was sparked after images surfaced on social media showing Jimin wearing a shirt emblazoned with the phrase "PATRIOTISM OUR HISTORY LIBERATION KOREA" repeated several times, alongside what appears to be an image of a mushroom cloud over the Japanese city of Nagasaki. It was not clear when the photo of Jimin allegedly wearing the shirt was taken, but local news outlets reported the image was from 2013....'
The Korean Peninsula was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945, and was only liberated after the allies defeated Japan at the end of WWII.
Millions of Koreans suffered under Japanese occupation and their treatment continues to impact relations between Tokyo and Seoul.
Japan, meanwhile, became the only nation to have experienced a nuclear attack when the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski killing an estimated 200,000-plus people at the end of WWII"
Here is a link to a more in detailed version of the history of Korea and the occupation: Here
BTS is has been a record breaking K-Pop group in the US market. Just to name a few
1st Korean artist to win 2 awards at the Billboard Music Awards
1st Korean artist to top the Billboard 200
Fastest music video ever to reach 10 million views
1st Korean group to perform at the American Music Awards
Full list here courtesy of Soompi.com
What do you think of this controversy?
Is the broadcast station justified? Should BTS be allowed to perform?