KUALA LUMPUR: K-Pop sensation BTS may currently be the darlings of the international music scene but apparently not everyone agrees.
According to Koreaboo, the popular seven-member South Korean group was recently featured on the Australian TV show 20 To One, where it was placed at No. 18 on the programme’s pop culture list.
Unfortunately, the seemingly positive presentation took a nosedive when the show's hosts, Erin Molan and Nick Cody, started to throw shade on the music outfit.
Molan had called BTS the “South Korean One Direction”, after introducing the band with, “At number 18, it’s the biggest group you’ve never heard of.”
Cody then agreed by saying, “Yeah, never heard of them.”
But things just went downhill from there onwards as the Asian group was treated to condescension and apparent insults.
The hosts relayed how impressed they were by BTS becoming the first Korean artiste to reach No. 1 in America since “only one band member actually speaks English.”
A clip was then played where actor Rob Mills said: “I have no idea what they’re singing about. But, these guys are great. The choreo is great. The singing is…passable.”
This was quickly followed by another clip featuring BTS member Jimin's voice cracking.
Comedian Mel Buttle later said: “There’s seven members. That is a lot. Surely you could fire four of them.”
Even BTS' speech at the UN General Assembly last year was not spared as they made fun of it by saying that the boys were talking about “hair products.”
Shocked fans of BTS, dubbed Army, were naturally upset by the comments, with some demanding for legal action to be taken or an apology from the show's production team.
Australia’s official BTS fan Twitter site posted a long entry and described the matter as being very disappointing and extremely disrespectful.
Part of the post read: "This was not right to air on your show, and we demand an apology on behalf of the Australian Army and all Armys around the world. This is unfair and presenting inaccurate information. You disregarded their achievements, and instead let your xenophobic, racist mindsets be biased instead. We want an apology."
A recent post on the Aussie fan site featured a response from a Channel Nine spokesperson after SBS PopAsia had reached out to the broadcast channel, which airs the show, for clarification.
It read: “As a light-hearted entertainment program, it is our belief that last night's episode of 20 To One, which highlighted the 'Greatest Global Crazes', did not breach any broadcast regulations, and was intended to humourously highlight the popularity of the group. We apologise to any who may have been offended by last night's episode."