A German radio host who compared BTS to COVID-19 apologized for the racist joke after fan outrage

• A German radio host compared the Korean pop-group BTS to COVID-19.
• He did so while commenting on the group's recent cover of Coldplay's "Fix You."
• Both the host and station Bayern 3 have issued apologies after fans called the remarks racist.

German radio host Matthias Matuschik made compared Korean septet BTS to COVID-19 during a radio broadcast on Bavarian station Bayern 3 on Thursday, describing the group as "some crappy virus that hopefully there will be a vaccine for soon as well," the Associated Press reported. Following intense online pressure, both Matuschik and Bayern 3 published apologies online, saying that his remarks were "unacceptable," but that Matuschik did not intend for them to be racist.

During the show, Matuschik commented on BTS' recent cover of Coldplay's "Fix You" during an MTV Unplugged special, calling it "blasphemy," per the Associated Press. In the process, he compared the group to COVID-19. The comparison to echoed the racist discrimination and harassment that people of Asian descent have faced over the course of the pandemic, which has led to a recent surge in hate crimes against Asian Americans.

Matuschik, per the Associated Press, said during the program that "you can't accuse me of xenophobia only because this boyband is from South Korea... I have a car from South Korea, I have the coolest car around." He also said that in return for the Coldplay cover, BTS "will be vacationing in North Korea for the next 20 years."

Fans of the group and others decried his comments online, trending the hashtags #Bayern3Racist, #RacismBayern3, #RassismusBeiBayern3 ("Racism at Bavaria 3") to bring attention to them and call for an apology.

Initially, Bayern 3 published a statement saying that Matuschik had a tendency to "express his opinion clearly, openly and unvarnished" and that it is a "hallmark" of the program, saying that while his exaggerated wording "hurt the feelings of many BTS fans" it was not his intent.

"This is his personal opinion, regardless of the origin and cultural background of the band," the initial statement read, saying that Matuschik was involved in refugee aid and stood against right-wing extremism.

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

Later, Matuschik and Bayern 3 both issued further apologies online, publishing statements in both German and English on the Bayern 3 website.

"I have given this a lot of thought over the past few hours and understand and accept that my words racially offended many of you, especially the Asian community. That was never my intention, but I realize that, in the end, what matters is only how words are perceived - not how they were intended," Matuschik said in the statement.

Bayern 3 said in its second statement that it was working through the issue with both Matuschik and the team in order to prevent similar events in the future."Bayern 3 also expressly and resolutely distances itself from any form of racism, exclusion, and discrimination," the statement reads.

BTS is comprised 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've become one of the most successful musical acts worldwide.

This is not the first time that they have been subject to racist and xenophobic media commentary. In 2019, Australian television station Nine Network apologized following racist comments made about the band during a pop-culture broadcast. In early 2020, Howard Stern called out comments from "The Howard Stern Show" staff member Salvatore "Sal" Governale, who claimed that the members of BTS were carrying the coronavirus.

Criticism of Matuschik's comments, and Bayern 3's response, continue to unfold online in the wake of apologies many have found dissatisfying. In a recent op-ed for Teen Vogue, writer Jae-Ha Kim wrote that his words played into an "epidemic of hatred towards Asians, fueled by public figures like Matuschik, who almost always claim that they didn't mean it."