Big Hit Entertainment Apologizes For Alleged Mistreatment Of BTS Army At 'Happy Ever After' Japan Fan Meet
BTS is one of the most popular Korean boy bands today. No wonder that in every event that they appear, thousands of fans come to see them. But it was not a fun experience for some fans all the time.
It was recently reported that some of the BTS fans were badly treated by the personnel of the band's label, Big Hit Entertainment, during a fan meet in Japan. The unfortunate event allegedly happened in BTS fan meets in Yokohama, Japan on April 18-21 and in Osaka on April 23 and 24.
Apparently, some of the members of the BTS Army were treated very roughly when they recorded the event, billed as BTS Japan Official Fanmeeting Vol. 4 - Happy Ever After. There was a no-recording policy for the fan meet, but some members of the Army couldn't help but make a video memento of the event.
Reports indicated that the security staff of Big Hit Entertainment forcibly deleted the recorded clips and the fans responsible were kicked out of the venue. Some fans of BTS believe that the treatment was too harsh for breaking the no-recording rule.
Big Hit Entertainment Response
Although the agency did not admit nor deny the allegation of rough treatment on BTS Army, it apologized for the inconvenience that fans have experienced. Bit Hit Entertainment also assured that they will educate their company and external staff who directly deal with the fans so each BTS Army will have the ultimate fan experience.
"Regardless of whether or not these events occurred at the venue, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. We continuously educate our staff and external staff who are in touch with the fans, so fans can enjoy BTS' performances comfortably. However, we apologize for the inconvenience to the fans despite this. We will continue to monitor and supervise maintenance and order to allow fans to comfortably view events," Big Hit Entertainment wrote in a statement.
BTS is in Japan to promote their third Japanese studio album, Face Yourself. The LP was released earlier this month. It already sold over 287,000 copies in Japan.
BTS At The 2018 Billboard Music Awards
The BMAs has confirmed that the Korean boy band will attend the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on May 20. In fact, the K-pop idols are also set to debut their new single at the award ceremony. This makes them the first-ever K-pop group to perform at the BMAs.
The group attended the award ceremony last year but they only took the stage to receive the Top Social Artist award and not to perform. BTS won the award last year against Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. They are also nominated for the same category this year.
Meanwhile, BTS will also release their Love Yourself: Tear album on May 18, just two days before their much-awaited appearance at the awards show. The 2018 Billboard Music Awards will air live on NBC on May 20 at 8 p.m. ET. It will be hosted by Kelly Clarkson.