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linameka · 11 days ago

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When does an Idol's apology work?

So, I saw the whole thing with Jungkook's hat situation and how people have been responding to it, and before I make this post, I want to clarify that I thought what he did was quite ignorant... but at the same time, it had me thinking, when does an idol's apology work?

I want to preface that I don't necessarily agree with the ARMYs who say that he never should have apologized, I actually think it's good and commendable that he recognized how he might've/could've hurt people and immediately took accountability. That's incredibly important and shows that Jungkook wanted to shut down any narrative surrounding him immediately.

WARNING: Long post ahead

I'm going to compare both Aespa Karina's scandal and Jungkook's. When Karina apologized for her alleged PPP support post, it appeared that many people did not receive it well, and I think that was for a myriad of reasons, some of which were not fair, but some of which raised pretty concerning red flags. However, with Jungkook's, it seems that more people were willing to forgive him despite these issues being political in nature.

I want to preface that I am not accusing nor defending these idols.

In the case of Karina:

Karina's occurred around their Korea's critical snap elections, and it was a time where it seemed that everyone in the public eye in was willing to stop regular hand gestures or stop wearing certain colors to avoid to be associated with any of the major parties. Karina is a Korean, she works in Korea, and she probably knows its history and political system very well, making it seem impossible that she wouldn't know what is going on. Also, the PPP president had literally just been impeached, so sentiments surrounding the party had soured in the press.

Additionally, Karina's post included three nods to the PPP (the color, the number, and other correlating symbols), and she indirectly apologized on a paid app, which I think made the situation a bit worse. Making an apology locked behind an exclusive service can come off the wrong way to a lot of people, even if the sentiment behind it was genuine. Some people were also upset because it appeared that more 'effort' went into her apology for dating... which in my humblest opinion, she should have never made an apology for that in the first place.

Also, although some try to argue against it, it is true that some were willing to be harsher to Karina on the basis of gender. Misogyny always hits, and it hits hard. But I'm not defending nor am I accusing Karina of doing anything, and I honestly do hate when the misogyny card is played when a woman receives valid criticism. I still thought it was an important point to bring up since it is our current reality.

Another thing is that some said it made sense for her to be a PPP supporter on the basis of her faith, trying to directly tie Catholicism to conservatism, which isn't exactly a fair play, especially in a country where Catholicism is a minority religion (at only 11%). I think many western Kpop stans view Korean politics similarly to how they would view their own country, and many of these comments came from people from the US, where religion and politics are HEAVILY intertwined. But in a majority atheistic country like Korea, tying religion to politics is not always as black and white as it seems.

I think the biggest factor that contributed to the negative reception of her apology is the overall reach of the initial incident, as Karina's Instagram post had escaped its initial circle and found itself being scrutinized by the public and the press almost immediately, whereas in Jungkook's case, when he issued the apology, even many fans themselves had no idea what he was talking about in the first place.

In the case of Jungkook:

Jungkook wore a "Make Tokyo Great Again" hat, which is a direct tie to the MAGA slogan heavily used by the current and controversial American president, Donald Trump. However, it's quite common to see people parody this slogan or make satirical merchandise off it (Make America Gay Again, etc...) Some of the most left-leaning people might wear something that uses the slogan satirically. However, the slogan itself is STILL politically charged, so many Americans did feel a bit perturbed even though the slogan is talking about Tokyo. But also, some Americans didn't take issue to it because they understand that some people make satirical pieces using it all the time. Jungkook is not an American, no, no one can expect him to be an expert in what's going on in a foreign country, especially since he's been in the military for the past 18 months. BUT, Korea is heavily intertwined with the United States politically, and Trump has been in the political sphere since 2016, well before he ever enlisted. However, in Jungkook's Weverse apology, he was explicit in addressing the political discomfort surrounding it and immediately said he would discard the hat altogether.

However, the hat itself says "Tokyo", and many people were quick to point out the tense relationships between Korea and Japan, and how their history has been a brutal one. I think it's incredibly important for us to understand exactly what happened and how the Japanese subjugated Korea and its people. But at the same time, it is also important to note that not all modern-day Koreans and Japanese people hate each other, and that the younger generations in both countries have taken a keen interest in one another. Many young Koreans enjoy Japanese pop culture, and Japan is a popular travel destination for many Koreans. It's the same the other way around. Korea is no longer in an era where it censors everything from Japan or hates any cultural export from them (but censorship in Japan... well, that's another story). But it could still be considered tone deaf in the grand scheme of things and as a public figure he should've been more careful about how that might've come across to the general Korean public, especially since similarly, Jimin's Korean Liberation Day t-shirt carried consequences in Japan before. However, Jungkook also has multiple tattoos regarding Korean nationalism and culture, so many find it hard to believe that he'd support Japanese imperialism. (I also want to point out that I have Korean friends whose parents are completely fine with Japanese cultural imports/exports, and some Korean friends where their parents boycott any Japanese product entirely. It's a mixed bag. Also, I formally took some Japanese courses, and my Japanese professor talked about how loved Korean culture is by the youth there, his own wife taking Korean lessons and watching K-dramas. I am also well acquainted with a Japanese family who had their daughter live in Korea for special job training, and they are big fans of the country.)

Jungkook recently took a trip to Tokyo with Jimin, so some assumed that he probably got it as a souvenir while he was there. The hat itself also comes from a Japanese streetwear brand, so it's entirely possible that he picked it up. Is it a great souvenir? In my opinion, not really. But Jungkook has said multiple times on camera and in writings that Japan and Tokyo are one of his favorite places to visit and vacation to. He had a private vacation in 2017 with Jimin to Tokyo, and then in 2023, he and Jimin again went to Sapporo and stopped briefly in Tokyo as well. This is why some people might be more lenient since the hat itself says Tokyo rather than all of Japan itself.

BTS themselves also have a long and intricate history with politics and resistance to conservative bodies. BTS risked being blacklisted after making songs/statements that challenged the GNP (a conservative party in Korea) and Park Geunhye's administration. They also made several statements being in favor of queer rights and gender identities, have strong connections/relationships to those in the LGBTQIA community, have made strong national sentiments about Korea and have expressed anti-imperial Japan views (namely about Dokdo and not working with an imperialist producer), and they also worked closely with the democratic/left-leaning party in Korea, and removed themselves from direct government collaboration when the PPP candidate got into office (except for YTC in Busan event, where the gov proceeded to neglect member payouts of 5M USD). Although this is also controversial, I do think it's worth mentioning that BTS met with American leader Joe Biden, a direct opponent and apparent 'enemy' of Donald Trump. They also made a hefty donation to BLM in 2020, directly going against the sentiments and outcries of Trump, who was president at that time. Jungkook himself had also made donations to local hospitals in Korea after it was announced that the conservative government would be cutting funding.

I think their past decade of philanthropy/overall message as a group has made people more willing to accept Jungkook's apology and view it as an act of ignorance rather than an act of support for Japanese Imperialism and Trumplicans. But I do think it's also worth mentioning that many people could easily spin these displays of liberalism as being performative rather than genuine (especially since 7 in 10 Korean men in their 20s voted for the PPP, and at the end of the day, we really don't know our idols) but that's a whole other can of worms.

But overall, I think the actions of both Jungkook and Karina were ignorant at best, but this is why I think some people were more willing to accept one apology over the other. If I remember quickly, I think they both posted their apologies quickly, so I don't think the speed in which they took accountability impacted the reception of their statements all that much. Also, I would like to point out that I'm not entirely familiar with aespa's philanthropy, so I'm not entirely sure how/if that could've impacted the overall reception of Karina's apology.

edit: the brand themselves also posted an apology and expressed that the original intention of the design was not to send a political message, but rather to express optimism/hope for a thriving future for Tokyo. Again, it doesn't really matter what the intention is, if someone is hurt by it, it is good to apologize at the end of the day.

But these are just my thoughts!

#bts #bangtan #jungkook #jeon jungkook #i personally don't think that he or any of the group members would ever subscribe to that kind of ideology #i'm just relieved that he apologized #<<<agreeeeeee

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