KUALA LUMPUR: A TV network in Japan has cancelled an appearance by uber popular K-Pop band BTS, after a photo emerged of one of its members wearing a T-shirt that appeared to celebrate the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.
The Guardian reported that the seven-member boy band, who have built a huge international following since they formed in 2013, were due to appear on TV Asahi’s flagship Music Station show yesterday.
But the broadcaster withdrew its invitation this week after a photo of Jimin wearing the T-shirt went viral.
The back of the shirt features several lines repeating the words “Patriotism Our History Liberation Korea”, a reference to the end of Japan’s 35-year colonial rule of the Korean peninsula.
It also carries images of what appears to be a mushroom cloud created by an exploding atomic bomb, and of Koreans celebrating their liberation from Japanese rule in August 1945, the month the US carried out nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Jimin, 23, was reportedly photographed wearing the shirt last year on Aug 15, when Koreans mark the anniversary of the end of the Japanese occupation.
“We have seen news that a T-shirt worn by one of the members has set off a furore. After asking their record company about this, we made the decision to postpone their appearance on our Nov 9 show,” TV Asahi said.
BTS apologised to fans for the cancellation but made no reference to the T-shirt. “We apologise for disappointing fans who were looking forward to this. BTS will continue our efforts to connect with fans on stage and also through music,” the group said.
The cancellation of the band’s TV appearance comes on the eve of their Japan tour, which begins in Tokyo next Tuesday, and five months after they became the first K-Pop band to top the Billboard 200 album chart with Love Yourself: Tear.