BTS fans took to social media to express their disappointment with an upcomingTime Magazine special edition bookazine after the product's description appeared online.- A line that appears to have been removed from the description stated that Western boy bands like The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC had "paved the way" for BTS.
- A representative for the Meredith Corporation, which is publishing the special edition bookazine, confirmed to Insider that the description page had been updated, saying that it "previously featured language that was not meant to be the final description."
- BTS' fans, called ARMY, have a long history of defending the group from Western media coverage they perceive as unfair.
BTS fans, called ARMY, are expressing frustration on social media with an upcoming Time Magazine collector's edition focused on the Korean group. The product, which is listed on Amazon as "TIME BTS: The
The description for the special edition on Amazon begins with a question: "How did seven guys from South Korea become a global pop sensation?" It goes on to outline the various ephemera available inside, including fan art, an interview with the group, photographs, and original art.
Discourse largely erupted on Twitter after journalist and YouTuber Brian Patrick Byrne tweeted that Time had confirmed to him that an image of the cover would appear on a "special edition bookazine" scheduled for release on the 31st. Time later tweeted, directly addressing BTS fans and saying that the product was an "authentic special edition bookazine in partnership with the publisher Meredith."
—TIME (@TIME) July 22, 2020
Much of the criticism arose from what appears to have been a modified product description on Amazon. Screenshots circulated on Twitter on Wednesday of a product description that included a line that states the edition will include a "boy band hall of fame, including The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, who paved the way for BTS and have topped the charts over the years." Bryne noted that the description had been updated on Twitter.
—Brian Patrick Byrne⁷ (@bybrianbyrne) July 23, 2020
A spokesperson for the Meredith Corporation, which is publishing the bookazine, confirmed that the description on the product page had been updated, saying, "The page previously featured language that was not meant to be the final description from TIME and the publisher, Meredith Corporation."
As Koreaboo reported, the edition had been the object of discussion hours before after Twitter user @blackxagustd tweeted a screenshot of the special edition listed on Korean retailer Aladin. What started as mostly gentle ribbing over the image transformed into discourse after the special edition's description began to circulate. Many argued that the notion that Western boy bands like *NYSNC and The Backstreet Boys had "paved the way" for BTS was problematic because it seemingly attributed BTS' success to American boy band predecessors.
—International Sleep ⁷ 시차 (@SleepDeez) July 23, 2020
—BTS ∞⁷ BLM ⟭⟬ (@MyGalaxyBTSArmy) July 22, 2020
—Patty⁷ (@btbtbtsssssss_) July 22, 2020
—:/⁷ (@eyekv) July 22, 2020
Fans also raised concerns that one of the members of the group, Jimin, had been misidentified in what appeared to be a screenshot from the bookazine.
—Noon⁷ (@rap7ine) July 22, 2020
When asked to confirm whether or not the photo, which does not currently appear in the Amazon preview, was part of the bookazine, a Meredith Corporation spokesperson provided the following statement: "The caption that misidentifies Jimin was issued by an external photo agency, and was not caught during our (Meredith) fact checking process. We apologize for this error and a correction will be issued in the digital file for all future issues and for Print on Demand issues."
This is far from the first time that ARMYs have expressed their disapproval with Western media coverage. In Oct. 2019, the
The criticisms go past mob mentality, however: BTS has been slighted in Western media coverage in denigrating and racist ways in the past, with one extreme example being an Australian news station airing a racist segment about the group that dismissed the group's skill and global influence. Others take issue with covering BTS like the group is a mysterious new phenomenon, as well as language in the special edition like "The BTS Invasion".
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