A netizen reported BTS’ Jungkook and his brother’s business to trade authorities, the Korean press reported.
For at least three days, BTS’ Jungkook has been criticized by some netizens who accuse him of covertly advertising a business of his brother’s.
Although the singer recently resigned from his position as internal director at the aforementioned company, the controversy continues in local forums. On October 1, a netizen noted in a local newspaper that he had filed a complaint against the K-pop star with trade authorities.
Why did the covert advertising report come up?
Jeon Junghyun, Jungkook’s brother, is CEO of the clothing brand Six6guys.
This company was founded in May 2021 and the singer had held a management position until his resignation on September 14, according to Biz Hankook three days ago.
Six6guys introduced the Graffiti on mind line earlier that month and Jungkook wore garments from this company within days of launch.
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He posted a selfie on social media of him and also wore a brand shirt on a VLive broadcast for his birthday.
Some believe it was undercover advertising because Jungkook did not verbally reveal to the public that he was related to the brand.
The netizen who filed the complaint with the Korea Trade Commission (FTC) argued: “BTS is a top group that represents Korea and has astronomical status. Although Jungkook did not mention a review of the product or ask fans to buy it, just giving the brand exposure can boost your earnings beyond belief. I believe that this incident is against the fair and free market and is something that the Trade Commission prohibits. I hope the authorities will investigate what happened ”(Sports Kyunghyang).
However, other netizens consider this accusation to be exaggerated.
According to the Money Today medium, the FTC determines that it is disguised advertising when influencers or celebrities do not specify the recommendation of a product, but have received payment or sponsorship for it. This recommendation can be in the form of repeated exposure of the product, by publishing a link to buy or by reviewing the benefits of the product.
BTS fans note that “Jungkook did not mention or hint at the garment he was wearing and it is difficult to assume that he had commercial intentions.
” In fact, the garment was only seen wearing on two occasions.
They also add that it is usual for ARMY to investigate on their own what products their idols use or appear in their videos. “It is excessive to want to blame Jungkook for something that his followers are interested in voluntarily,” say K-fans of BTS as quoted by Starnews. “At this rate he will not be able to wear clothes,” they ironized.
