HYBE Responds To Massive Backlash Regarding BTS Jin’s “Hug Event”

HYBE’s subsidiary, BIGHIT Music, has apologized for the backlash regarding the application guidelines for BTS Jin’s fan event following his military discharge.


On June 2, the company updated fans through their official Weverse account with the new modifications to the application rules for Jin’s offline event, part of the annual FESTA celebrations. The event is set for June 13 at Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul and will feature two segments: “Jin’s Greetings,” a hug event for 1,000 lucky fans, followed by “Seokjin on June 13, 2024, Clear Weather,” which will include various fan-favorite moments of Jin.


Initially, the agency stated that ARMYs who purchased any albums released after Proof through the Weverse Shop from 11 AM on June 2 until 11:59 PM on June 6 would be eligible to apply. The eligible albums included Proof, The Astronaut, Indigo, Face, D-DAY, Jack in the Box, Layover, Golden, Hope on the Street Volume 1, and Right Place, Wrong Person.


Following the criteria announcement fans soon raised their concerns. The problem is that many fans had already bought the albums mentioned and felt it was unfair to require new purchases to participate in the event. Furthermore, the system — which increased the chances of winning based on the number of albums bought — was criticized for effectively encouraging multiple purchases.


Addressing these concerns, BIGHIT Music apologized for the initial unclear guidelines and their failure to consider detailed criteria in advance. They promised to revise the rules to include both those who applied after the announcement and those who had previously purchased albums.

We apologize for the previous unclear notice and our failure to set detailed application criteria in advance. We will revise the criteria to include both those who purchased after the offline event notice was posted on the Weverse Shop detail page and those who had previously purchased albums from the Weverse Shop. We will carefully discuss and announce the detailed plan as soon as possible.

We will do our best putting the event together so that Jin’s heartfelt sentiments can be conveyed to the fans. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and ask for your continued support and interest in Jin’s offline event on June 13.

— BIGHIT MUSIC


Meanwhile, Jin enlisted in the Army in December 2022 and is currently serving as an assistant instructor. He is scheduled to be discharged on June 12.