Did HYBE shield BTS' Jungkook's political scandal with NewJeans' clubbing video? Fans accuse agency of media play
Jungkook was under fire for sporting a cap with a controversial text 'Make Tokyo Great Again' during rehearsals for his act in J-Hope's HOPE ON THE STAGE FINAL concert. Following intense online backlash, the BTS member apologized on Weverse, however, the matter didn't die out yet. Amid this, NewJeans' clubbing pics and videos surfaced. Some fans saw it as a HYBE-orchestrated move to shift the focus away from Jungkook.
NewJeans' clubbing videos generate hate; fans defend
NewJeans members were accused of clubbing amid their contract validity legal suit with agency ADOR. The photos and videos circulated to support the claims, showcased Danielle clearly, however, the face of the member(s) she was with weren't visible. As the visuals got viral, Bunnies (NewJeans' fandom) rallied to defend Danielle, saying that the videos were from G-Dragon's Übermensch album release party in February.
Fans shared clips of Danielle and Haerin posing with CL during the event, to support their claims. A few others claimed that the images were taken when they attended an event of Emotional Oranges, an artist Danielle's sister collaborated with. The latter is quite possible as Danielle's leather jacket, glasses and the entire outfit in the alleged clubbing visuals matches her Emotional Oranges' party day look.
Fans accuse HYBE of media play to protect Jungkook from hat scandal hate
The sudden surfacing of NewJeans' alleged past photos and being twisted to be evidence of their recent club sightings angered fans. They alleged that HYBE was behind the incident and they deliberately spread the false news to shift public focus away from Jungkook's latest political scandal.
The controversy surrounded him wearing a hat with the text 'Make Tokyo Great Again' during rehearsals for his performance at J-Hope's day 1 Goyang encore concert. The phrase's origin is the issue, as it's perceived as right-wing-inclined. The phrase stemmed from Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again,' and its Japan and Korea versions were used by Tokyo's governor Koike Yuriko and South Korea's former President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Jungkook donning an accessory with such a political message did not sit right with the netizens.
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