Matthias Matuschik, apologies from radio DJ Bayern 3: compared BTS, COVID-19

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  • A German radio host compared Korean pop group BTS to COVID-19.
  • He did so while commenting on the band’s recent cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You”.
  • The host and Bayern 3 station both apologized after fans called the comments racist.
  • Visit the Insider home page for more stories.

German radio host Matthias Matuschik compared Korean septet BTS to COVID-19 during a radio show on Bavarian station Bayern 3 on Thursday, describing the group as “a shit virus which hopefully there will be. soon a vaccine, “Associated Press reported. Following intense online pressure, Matuschik and Bayern 3 posted an apology online, saying his remarks were “unacceptable”, but that Matuschik did not intend them to be racist.

During the show, Matuschik commented on BTS ‘recent coverage of Coldplay’s “Fix You” on an MTV Unplugged special, calling it “profanity,” according to the Associated Press. In the process, he compared the group to COVID-19. The comparison with echoes the racist discrimination and harassment that people of Asian descent have faced during the pandemic, which recently led to an upsurge in hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Matuschik, according to the Associated Press, said on the show that “you can’t accuse me of xenophobia just because this boyband is from South Korea … I have a car from South Korea, j have the coolest car ever. ” He also said that in exchange for the cover of Coldplay, BTS “will be going on vacation to North Korea for the next 20 years.”

Fans of the group and others decried his comments online, straining the hashtags # Bayern3Racist, # RacismBayern3, # RacismBayern3 (“Racism in Bavaria 3”) to draw attention to them and ask for an apology.

Initially, Bayern 3 issued a statement saying that Matuschik tended to “express his opinion clearly, openly and unvarnished” and that this is a “feature” of the program, saying that while its exaggerated wording “hurts the feelings of many BTS fans “that was not his intention.

“This is his personal opinion, regardless of the origin and culture of the group,” said the initial statement, saying that Matuschik was involved in helping refugees and standing up against right-wing extremism.

People criticized the statement online, with some using the hashtag #RacismIsNotAnOpinion and saying that the apology puts the blame on the fans rather than Matuschik’s comments themselves.

Both Matuschik and Bayern 3 later issued new apologies online, posting statements in German and English on the Bayern 3 website.

“I have thought about this a lot in the last few hours and I understand and accept that my words have racially offended many of you, especially the Asian community. It was never my intention, but I realize that in the end, what matters only how the words are perceived – not how they were intended, ”Matuschik said in the release.

Bayern 3 said in their second statement that they are working on the issue with Matuschik and the team in order to avoid similar events in the future. “Bayern 3 are also expressly and resolutely distancing themselves from all forms of racism, exclusion and discrimination,” the statement said.

BTS is made up of seven members – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – who debuted under South Korean company Big Hit Entertainment in 2013. Since then they have grown into one of the most successful musical acts. worldwide.

It is not the first time that they have been the subject of racist and xenophobic comments in the media. In 2019, Australian TV channel Nine Network apologized following racist comments about the group on a pop culture show. In early 2020, Howard Stern called comments from “The Howard Stern Show” staff member Salvatore “Sal” Governale, who claimed members of BTS were carriers of the coronavirus.

Criticism of Matuschik’s comments and Bayern 3’s response continue to unfold online in the wake of the apology many found unsatisfactory. In a recent editorial for Teen Vogue, writer Jae-Ha Kim wrote that her lyrics played into an “epidemic of hatred against Asians, fueled by public figures like Matuschik, who almost always claim they didn’t mean it. . “



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