BTS’ Management Apologises for That Time The Band Wore Nazi Hats

So, it turns out BTS can do wrong.

Seven-member K-Pop sensation BTS has become embroiled in controversy after photos emerged of them in, err, inappropriate outfits.

The scandal began last week, when one of the members, Jimin, was spotted wearing a shirt featuring an atomic mushroom cloud over Nagasaki, leading to the cancellation of a Japanese TV appearance.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center, a human rights organisation that "confronts anti-Semitism", denounced BTS over the weekend for "mocking the victims of the Nagasaki A-bomb", calling it "just the latest incident of this band mocking the past".

They were referencing old photos in which another bandmember wore a green camo hat with the "Nazi SS Death Head" logo. They also cited flags at a 2017 concert that were "eerily similar to the Nazi Swastika".

"It goes without saying that this group, which was invited to speak at the UN, owes the people of Japan and the victims of the Nazism an apology."

The band’s management company, Big Hit Entertainment, has done exactly that, releasing a statement on Facebook saying Big Hit "does not support any organisations or groups oriented towards political extremism and totalitarian beliefs including Nazism, is against all such entities and activities, [and] had no intention of causing distress or pain to anyone affected by historical events".

 

Big Hit also explained that the hat from the photo was "provided by the publication conducting the shoot" and that the flags from the performance were used as "criticism against restrictively uniform and authoritarian education systems".

To make amends, Big Hit has contacted "associations in Japan and Korea representing those affected by the atomic bombings to provide explanations and apologies" and also delivered a letter of apology to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

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Header Image: YouTube (ibighit)