South Korean police are investigating a Japanese woman for kissing the BTS star at a free hug event. We want to know if this innocent fan meeting has become a risk for K-pop idols.
So what actually happened?
A fan unexpectedly kissed BTS's Jin at a fan event last year, and has been investigated by South Korean police. The police have called for the Japanese woman, who is currently in Japan, to come forward for questioning on charges of sexual harassment in a public space.
The fan kissed the star at the idol's first public event in Seoul last June, where he hugged 1,000 lucky fans. However, instead of just hugging the star, the woman appeared to have kissed his face, in which the idol responded by turning his face away.
The kiss angered other BTS fans, one of whom filed a criminal complaint against her, leading police to launch an investigation.
Clips of the moment went viral on the internet. Videos show that Jin, taken aback by the move, tried to turn his head while hugging the woman before quickly moving on to the next fan. Fans could also be seen reacting angrily to her actions.
She later wrote on her blog later that she kissed him "on his neck" and "the skin was very soft".
Would this happen in the Western world?
South Korea is still a fairly conservative nation, with strong views on sexual assaults compared to the more open Western world. If you look at the angle of the TikTok video, it shows the over excited ARMY fan hugging the BTS star, and kissing him on his cheek which in most Western meet and greets often happens.
Let's take a look at this clip from the popular US series American Idol, where pop sensation Katy Perry kisses a contestant by surprise!
As we can see, the scenario of the video and the content in which is it shown is completely different to the BTS members and Jin's overreaction to something so minor. The liberal West and the more conservative East tend to have different views on this minor interaction.
In New Zealand a way to greet someone is to rub noses, which means that two people will be in close proximity to each others personal space, although this a traditional Māori welcome. Would the star be offended if he was greeted in this way? Could it be viewed a cultural appropriation?
Idols responsibility & overreaction
Although the event was advertised as a free hug event, of course a kiss was not something that Jin was expecting, however as a public figure he must be aware of fan reactions from events that he has hosted before, and that being in the public eye does sometimes lead to unwanted attention.
Idols do have the responsibility to 'be available' for fans, however simply making a public statement would have been enough in this case rather than trying to make it a police incident, as well as speaking to his security detail to ensure that they do more to step up to the plate next time he hosts a meet and greet. Will this overreaction by the BTS boys go against them in the future as ARMY fans become more offended?
What is your opinion on this scandal? Drop a comment and let us know.
Before you go, check out out other cultural appropriation K-pop article;
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