Jungkook: why the BTS idol is accused of covert advertising
For at least three days, BTS's Jungkook has been criticized by some netizens who accuse him of covertly advertising his brother's business . Although the singer recently resigned from his position as internal director in 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 the commerce authorities.
Why did the covert advertising report come about?
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, Biz Hankook reported three days ago.
Six6guys introduced the Graffiti on mind line earlier this month and Jungkook wore clothing from this company within days of the launch. He posted a selfie on social media of him and also wore a T-shirt of the brand on a VLive broadcast for his birthday.
Some believe it was covert 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 raise his profits beyond imagination. I think this incident is against the free and fair trade and is something that the Trade Commission prohibits. I hope the authorities investigate what happened” (Sports Kyunghyang).
ARMY defends Jungkook
However, other Internet users consider that this accusation is exaggerated. According to Money Today , the FTC determines that it is covert 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 point out that "Jungkook did not mention or allude to the garment he wore and it is difficult to assume that he had commercial intentions." In fact, the garment was only seen used twice.
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 willingly interested in,” say BTS K-fans as quoted by Starnews. "At this rate he will not be able to wear clothes," they ironized.