An image of a bulletproof boy band mole game illustrated by Tops, an American sticker card maker (left). The racist controversy, Ilchi Tops, posted an apology stating that “I understand that consumers are angry.” Tops SNS capture
American illustration sticker card maker’Tops’ has been criticized for racism by releasing a sticker depicting the group BTS as bruised moles.
On the 17th (local time), according to foreign media such as CNN, the company unveiled a series of’Garbage Fail Kids’ Shame Awards’ sticker card series, which ridiculously depicted the major cast members of the Grammy Awards held on the 14th, on the online shopping mall. Compared to American pop stars such as Swift and Billy Eilish, they are criticized online for being violent.
Looking at the released stickers, the seven members of BTS were expressed as moles in the mole game. He was struck by a phonograph-shaped Grammy trophy, and his eyes were bruised, and his face was severely scratched.
Even though it was ridiculously expressed in caricatures, Swift was expressed exactly as he performed at the Grammy Awards. British and American stars emphasized their musical characteristics, but as BTS was drawn sadistically as an image that had nothing to do with music, criticism of’discrimination against Asian artists’ is pouring out. This sticker was more resentful with the situation in the United States where violence that is alleged to be hated by Asians, such as the Atlanta firearms incident in which four Koreans died.
All of the other performers have their names listed at the bottom of the sticker, but the BTS sticker only wrote’K-pop’ without a name, and it was pointed out that this topic is also discrimination.
American singer Taylor Swift sticker card image produced by Tops (left). The performance of the Grammy Awards ceremony was taken as it was. Tops YouTube capture
As the controversy grew, Tops posted an apology on social media, saying, “I understand that consumers are angry about the BTS card image,” saying, “BTS cards will not be sold.”
However, there are voices of criticism that the apology is inappropriate because there is no reflection from the company that it can be seen as racist. Forbes, an American business magazine, also made a problem with’Tops’ racist BTS sticker is a terrible idea.’
Although it was dismissed by some as a racist sticker, BTS received double platinum certification for the first time with the hit song’Dynamite’ from the American Record Industry Association on this day. Double Platinum is given to music sources that have sold more than 2 million units by converting the number of online streaming and downloads into separate figures.
Yang Seung-jun reporter [email protected]
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