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HONG KONG – They have been dubbed the largest boys group in the world and have even recently pledged to speak at the United Nations – the first group of K-pop to receive such an honor.
But proving that even world-famous pop bands are not immune to political tensions, a Japanese TV channel has suddenly canceled a live performance of the South Korean group BTS, on the chart charts, Thursday in an outcry over the t-shirt of group members.
The t-shirt presented the well-known historical image of a cloud of mushrooms that rose above the Japanese city of Nagasaki. Some said it glorified the Americans' use of atomic bombs against Japan at the end of the Second World War.
"After talking to the group agency of the member's intention to wear the t-shirt, we unfortunately decided to cancel their performance at that time," reads one in a release posted on the website of Music Station, broadcast on Japanese television. Asahi TV network.
The article of clothing in question would have been worn by Jimin, 23, one of seven members of the group, in an episode of the 2017 edition of the reality show of the group, "BTS: Bon voyage". The t-shirt shows the mushroom mushroom on August 9, 1945, near Nagasaki, just before the United States drops an atomic bomb on the Japanese city, thus making more than 70,000 civilian casualties.
A repeated text block printed on the t-shirt next to the picture reads: "PATRIOTISM, OUR HISTORY, RELEASE OF KOREA".
The incident highlighted the deep resentment that still prevails in the relations between the two countries, more than seven decades after the defeat of imperial Japan during the Second World War, which liberated the Korean peninsula from Japanese colonial rule ( subsequently divided into North Korea and South Korea). August 15 is always commemorated each year by North Korea and South Korea as Victory Day on Japan.
These historical tensions erupted last month when a South Korean court ordered a prominent Japanese steelmaker to compensate Koreans who were slaves during the Second World War.
Relations between the two countries remain tense by other legacies of the war, such as the Korean "comfort women" who have been forced to work in brothels of the Japanese army. Many South Koreans say that Japan's apologies and reparations on this issue have not been sufficient.
The t-shirt incident was a small but embarrassing setback for BTS, which has been a resounding success in recent years with its ever-changing rotation of hair colors and musical influences. This year, the band was not only the first K-pop group to reach the top spot of the Billboard Artist 100 Chart, it did it twice in a few months.
In August, BTS broke Taylor Swift's record for the most important video on YouTube, recording 45 million views for her "Idol" video in just 24 hours. In October, they completed the North American part of their "Love Yourself" world tour with a sold-out performance in front of an audience of about 40,000 at Citi Field in New York.
The group has We have already discussed potentially taboo topics, and members have been particularly candid about supporting gay rights.
But in their home country, relations between their home country and Japan have been a real political minefield. In September, Korean fans railed against the group's management agency, Big Hit Entertainment, after news surfaced about plans to release a Japanese single written by prominent Japanese producer Yasushi Akimoto.
Known for creating the popular group of Japanese girls AKB48, Mr. Akimoto had already angered Korean fans by wearing the flag of the rising sun – perceived by many as a painful symbol of Japanese imperialism – in some AKB48 costumes. As a result of these reactions, BTS removed the single entitled "Bird" from its latest Japanese album, released Wednesday.
According to the South Korean media, the designer of the Korean street fashion brand Ourhistory's t-shirt is excused, claiming that he did not want the motif to be considered anti-Japanese.
Despite the outcry in Japan, the many hardcore fans of the group, known as the Army, did not seem discouraged. On Friday, the band's new single, "Fake Love / Airplane Pt. 2" remained at the top of the Japanese singles chart, according to Oricon, a website of Japanese music statistics.
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