{"id":374424,"date":"2021-11-30T18:54:01","date_gmt":"2021-11-30T15:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/billion-dollar-k-pop-biz-banks-on-a-bts-nazi-problem\/"},"modified":"2021-11-30T18:54:01","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T15:54:01","slug":"billion-dollar-k-pop-biz-banks-on-a-bts-nazi-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/billion-dollar-k-pop-biz-banks-on-a-bts-nazi-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"#Billion-dollar K-pop biz banks on a BTS &#8216;Nazi problem&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Billion-dollar K-pop biz banks on a BTS &#8216;Nazi problem&#8217;<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>K-pop\u2019s Third Reich fashions are a first-rate flop.<\/p>\n<p>Purple Kiss, a popular all-girl group from South Korea, is embroiled in the latest example of an ongoing campaign to trivialize Nazi symbolism in order to shock and awe \u2014 and cash in, according to human rights groups taking the multibillion-dollar K-pop industry to task for what they claim are deliberately inflammatory machinations.<\/p>\n<p>After the group\u2019s label, Rainbow Bridge World (RWB), released promo photos for its holiday merch, one band member, Goeun, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/adoringkm\/status\/1461919834480922627?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1461919834480922627%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jpost.com%2Fdiaspora%2Fantisemitism%2Fk-pop-groups-use-of-nazi-symbol-in-photoshoot-sparks-backlash-686939\">incited backlash<\/a> for sporting what looked like a Parteiadler \u2014 a Nazi insignia depicting an eagle with outstretched wings above a swastika \u2014 on a pseudo-military-chic look, complete with the text \u201cU.S. Air Force\u201d on a separate patch.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s all part of what some critics claim is a Holocaust-charged hype formula for post-BTS mega-fame in the most lucrative American market.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is part of an ongoing problem,\u201d Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean and director of Global <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social<\/a> Action Agenda for the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wiesenthal.com\/\">Simon Wiesenthal Center<\/a>, said in a fiery statement received by The Post. \u201cUse Nazi symbols to get PR, then offer an empty apology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When fans brought the outrageous fashion faux pas to the 22-year-old Purple Kiss singer\u2019s attention, Goeun issued one such apology and asked that her label investigate, according to a report in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/lifestyle\/k-pop\/bands\/article\/3157217\/k-pop-group-purple-kiss-label-says-sorry-nazi-symbol-one\">South China Morning Post<\/a>. The image was subsequently neutered, the Nazi emblem replaced with a generic eagle, leaving no trace of the incendiary symbol.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote><p>\u201cAsia in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a>, but especially Korea, unfortunately, have a Nazi problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><cite>Rabbi Abraham Cooper, of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, told The Post<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>South Korea-based RWB also <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jpost.com\/diaspora\/antisemitism\/k-pop-groups-use-of-nazi-symbol-in-photoshoot-sparks-backlash-686939\">issued an apology<\/a> on a fan site, writing, \u201cWe sincerely apologize for raising concerns by not doing a thorough inspection of all the outfits and accessories worn by the artist during the 2022 SEASON\u2019s GREETINGS photoshoot beforehand.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe responsibility of this issue rests entirely on us, the artist\u2019s agency, as we have failed to review the outfit in detail,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cWe are deeply reflecting on not having been more careful about sensitive historical issues. Considering the situation at the photoshoot, we\u2019d like to clearly state that the responsibility of this incident is not on the artist\u201d \u2014 and vowed to have staff \u201cpay close attention to historical issues in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-wrapper twitter\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CORRECTION: Cheap disgusting move to publicity. The adults running <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RBW_PURPLEKISS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@RBW_PURPLEKISS<\/a> know exactly what Nazi symbols stand for, yet continue using them. How would Koreans feel if a pop group used symbols of the Japanese imperial military in promos? <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/aykoggRB45\">https:\/\/t.co\/aykoggRB45<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 SimonWiesenthalCntr (@simonwiesenthal) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/simonwiesenthal\/status\/1465471666301984768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 30, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But not everyone is buying the meager mea culpa.<\/p>\n<p>On Twitter, Cooper, emphasizing that these <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/simonwiesenthal\/status\/1464274998743367682\">carefully choreographed campaigns <\/a>are all too routine nowadays, added: \u201cCheap disgusting move to publicity. The adults <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/music-news\/sony-apologizes-keyakizaka46-japanese-girl-band-nazi-outfits-7564688\/\">running @SonyMusic_Kpop<\/a> know exactly what Nazi symbols stand for, yet continue using them. How would Koreans feel if a pop group used symbols of the Japanese imperial military in promos?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While Purple Kiss is not part of Sony, Cooper \u2014 who later <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/simonwiesenthal\/status\/1465471666301984768\">tweaked his tweet<\/a> to specifically call out the RWB label \u2014\u00a0said the incident is part of a much more insidious problem with K-pop groups of outsize fame, including record-breaking BTS and GFriend. <\/p>\n<p>Cooper, 71, claims these bands are being used as pawns by labels looking to cash in on the controversies that such scandals, created by design, incite.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"673\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-01.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"The seven-member, all-girls group, Purple Kiss, was caught up in controversy over Nazi symbolism on display in a photo shoot.\" class=\"wp-image-20306983\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-01.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-01.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-01.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The seven-member, all-girls group Purple Kiss was caught up in controversy after Nazi insignia was visible in a promotional photo released by their label. \u201cIt\u2019s not about the teeny boppers \u2014 it\u2019s about the adults in the room who control every aspect of their lives,\u201d Rabbi Abraham Cooper exclusively told The Post after the Purple Kiss kerfuffle.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">RBW<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Earlier this year, Sowon, of South Korean girl group GFriend, swiftly deleted an Instagram photo of herself clutching and looking adoringly at a mannequin dressed in a Nazi uniform after being made aware of the image\u2019s implications. Her South Korean label, Source Music, issued an apology on her behalf, explaining that she now \u201cunderstood the significance of the image,\u201d and added that the star was \u201cvery shocked and immediately deleted the image, [and] she is pained and feels deep responsibility for posting such image[s].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cooper was deeply shocked and dis<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointed that the incident took place, especially after the Los Angeles-based human rights watchdog <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>ed to South Korea to meet with the creatives behind the biggest K-pop groups.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not about the teeny boppers \u2014 it\u2019s about the adults in the room who control every aspect of their lives,\u201d Cooper exclusively told The Post after the Purple Kiss kerfuffle. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cAsia in general, but especially Korea, unfortunately, have a Nazi problem,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>It wasn\u2019t an isolated event within the wildly popular world of K-pop, whose crown jewel is the boy band BTS, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/media-telecom\/bts-drops-sony-universal-wsj-2021-10-22\/\">affiliated with Sony until just this year<\/a>. In 2018, band member Jimin wore a T-shirt displaying an image of a billowing nuclear mushroom cloud over Hiroshima, the Japanese city leveled by an atomic bomb dropped by the US during World War II. The incident <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pagesix.com\/2018\/11\/09\/japanese-tv-cancels-bts-show-over-band-members-atomic-bomb-shirt\/\">resulted in the cancellation<\/a> of a live televised concert by a Japanese station.<\/p>\n<p>A week later, the band came under fire again after donning Nazi-style hats for a photoshoot.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-reddit wp-block-embed-reddit\"\/>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) also issued an apology in 2016 after Japanese girl band Keyakizaka46 <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/music-news\/sony-apologizes-keyakizaka46-japanese-girl-band-nazi-outfits-7564688\/\">wore military garb<\/a> reminiscent of Nazi-era clothing. \u201cWe express our heartfelt apology for causing offense \u2026 because of our lack of understanding,\u201d Sony said in a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/japanese-teen-girl-band-keyakizaka46-nazi-outfits-wiesenthal-center-sony-apology\/\">translated Japanese-language statement<\/a>\u00a0posted on its website. \u201cWe take the incident seriously and will make efforts to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Reps for Sony Music and RWB did not respond to The Post\u2019s requests for comment about Cooper\u2019s allegations.<\/p>\n<p>The rabbi noted that GFriend and BTS are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ibighit.com\/\">both managed by Big Hit Entertainment<\/a>, a South Korean company that just had a splashy $7.6 billion IPO last year. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cK-pop management corporations have a serious issue: embracing racism and neo-Nazism to boost ratings,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/k-pop-embrace-of-nazi-symbolism-defames-our-collective-past?ref=scroll\">Cooper wrote<\/a> in the Daily Beast earlier in 2021. \u201cSowon of GFriend rightfully came under fire for the Nazi Instagram postings, but Sowon likely didn\u2019t come up with that move. Every aspect of a K-idol\u2019s life is controlled by [many layers].\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With some 100 million fans of K-pop around the world, according to 2021 data from the Korea Foundation, comes accountability, Cooper told The Post, comparing the genre to \u201can ATM machine, a huge thing that put South Korea on the map.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-04.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682\" alt=\"The Parteiadler, a Nazi symbol of an eagle with swastika, was scrubbed after a backlash. \" class=\"wp-image-20311980\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-04.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1364 1364w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-04.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1023 1023w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-04.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=682 682w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-04.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=341 341w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/purple-kiss-nazi-symbols-04.jpeg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\"\/><figcaption>The Parteiadler, a Nazi symbol of an eagle with swastika, was scrubbed after a backlash. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Twitter \/ @RBW_PURPLEKISS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cFor starters, that is the responsibility not to denigrate six million Jews murdered in the World War II Nazi death camps. The responsibility not to boost today\u2019s racist neo-Nazis,\u201d Cooper wrote for the Daily Beast.<\/p>\n<p>The blithe \u2014 and blatant \u2014 instances of high-profile performers posing with potent Nazi symbols is deeply troubling to Cooper. \u201cIn the case of South Korea, the adults in the room know exactly what they\u2019re doing,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd they figure at this point, \u2018What better way to get some free publicity than to pose with Nazi symbols?\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote><p>\u201cThey figure at this point, \u2018What better way to get some free publicity than to pose with Nazi symbols?\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n<p><cite>Rabbi Abraham Cooper<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>While he acknowledged that \u201cthere are places in Asia where a swastika means nothing [as] they don\u2019t have that education,\u201d the international music industry doesn\u2019t fall under that category.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re talking about a global phenomenon known as K-pop, you can\u2019t have it both ways,\u201d he said. \u201cYou want to be a global phenomenon and make huge profits from global brands, and then when you keep defaulting to this behavior, knowing you\u2019re going to get some publicity out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cooper also believes there\u2019s no real compunction in the aftermath since \u201cthe apology is meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just a way of pushing a button in a crowded field to get attention,\u201d said Cooper, noting the cheap ploy for headlines. \u201cIf the companies had any concern that it would impact their bottom dollar or if the political leaders or media said, \u2018Cut it out,\u2019 it would stop. It\u2019s very troubling.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/11\/30\/billion-dollar-k-pop-biz-banks-on-a-bts-nazi-problem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Billion-dollar K-pop biz banks on a BTS &#8216;Nazi problem&#8217;&#8221; K-pop\u2019s Third Reich fashions are a first-rate flop. Purple Kiss, a popular all-girl group from South Korea, is embroiled in the latest example of an ongoing campaign to trivialize Nazi symbolism in order to shock and awe \u2014 and cash in, according to human rights groups&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":374425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/k-pop-bts-nazi-purple-kiss.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[120608,70892,69,73842],"class_list":["post-374424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-11-30-21","tag-holocaust","tag-k-pop","tag-nazis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374424","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374424"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374424\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374424"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374424"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374424"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}