- A German radio host compared the Korean pop group BTS to COVID-19.
- He did so while commenting on Coldplay’s recent “Fix You” group cover.
- Both the host and the Bayern 3 station apologized after fans classified the comments as racist.
- Visit the Insider home page for more stories.
German broadcaster Matthias Matuschik compared the Korean septet BTS to COVID-19 during a radio broadcast on the Bavarian station Bayern 3 on Thursday, describing the group as “a low-quality virus that, hopefully, will also have a vaccine soon” , the Associated Press said reported. After intense online pressure, Matuschik and Bayern 3 published apologies online, saying their remarks were “unacceptable”, but that Matuschik did not intend them to be racist.
During the program, Matuschik commented on BTS ‘recent cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” during an MTV Unplugged special, calling it “blasphemy”, according to the Associated Press. In the process, he compared the group to COVID-19. The comparison echoed the racist discrimination and harassment that people of Asian descent faced during the pandemic, which led to a recent increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
Matuschik, according to the Associated Press, said during the program that “you can’t accuse me of xenophobia just because this boyband is from South Korea … I have a car from South Korea, I have the coolest car for Ouch.” He also said that in exchange for the Coldplay cover, BTS “will be on vacation in North Korea for the next 20 years.”
Fans of the group and others condemned their online comments, tending to hashtags # Bayern3Racist, # RacismBayern3, # RassismusBeiBayern3 (“Racism in Bavaria 3”) to draw attention to them and apologize.
—Vote With ARMY⁷ (@VoteWithARMY) February 25, 2021
Initially, Bayern 3 issued a statement saying that Matuschik had a tendency to “express his opinion in a clear, open and naked and crude way” and that this is a “trademark” of the program, saying that although its exaggerated wording “hurt the feelings of many BTS fans “was not his intention.
“This is your personal opinion, regardless of the band’s cultural background and background,” said the opening statement, saying that Matuschik was involved in helping refugees and opposed right-wing extremism.
People criticized the statement online, some using the hashtag #RacismIsNotAnOpinion and saying that the apology placed the responsibility on the fans rather than Matuschik’s own comments.
—Josie (@vfxjimin) February 25, 2021
—BTS Graphs ⁷ (@BTS_graphs) February 26, 2021
Subsequently, Matuschik and Bayern 3 issued further apologies online, posting statements in German and English on the Bayern 3 website.
“I thought about it a lot in the last few hours and understand and accept that my words racially offended many of you, especially the Asian community. That was never my intention, but I realize that in the end, what matters is just how words are perceived. – not as intended, “said Matuschik in the statement.
Bayern 3 said in its second statement that it is working on the problem with Matuschik and the team to avoid similar events in the future. “Bayern 3 also expressly and resolutely distances itself from any form of racism, exclusion and discrimination,” says the statement.
BTS consists of seven members – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – who debuted at the South Korean company Big Hit Entertainment in 2013. Since then, they have become one of the most successful music artists In all world.
This is not the first time that they have been subjected to racist and xenophobic comments in the media. In 2019, Australian television station Nine Network apologized after racist comments made about the band during a pop culture broadcast. In early 2020, Howard Stern called for comments from staff member of “The Howard Stern Show” Salvatore “Sal” Governale, who said BTS members were carriers of the coronavirus.
Criticisms of Matuschik’s comments and Bayern 3’s response continue to unfold online after the excuses that many consider unsatisfactory. In a recent opinion piece for Teen Vogue, writer Jae-Ha Kim wrote that his words resulted in an “epidemic of hatred against Asians, fueled by public figures like Matuschik, who almost always say they had no intention of saying this”.