Following the controversy surrounding NCT leader Taeyong’s alleged criticism of Starbucks on Instagram, fans asked fellow members Haechan and Jisung about their thoughts on Palestine during recent fan call events.
Starbucks Korea is currently heavily promoting its recent collaboration with NCT, offering a variety of merchandise featuring the group’s branding. However, this has caused widespread criticism as people worldwide are participating in a boycott of Starbucks in response to the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Starbucks Korea collaborates with NCT! Starbucks Korea has released a collaboration edition item with the idol group NCT! The refreshing Plum Pigeon, perfect for summer, has been released with a neo-energy theme! The stylish and cute collaboration items will also be on sale from May 30th 🧸📷 @StarbucksKorea #StarbucksKorea … pic.twitter.com/kK3MTyKKuk
— kitto.today (@Kittotoday) May 23, 2024
Starbucks has faced a boycott following their attempt to sue worker unions that publicly expressed support for Palestine using the Starbucks logo in their posts.
Hello, SM EntertainmentWe do NOT want NCT DREAM or any of your artists to associate or promote STARBUCKS or any companies that are financing a genocide in Palestine. Please take note of our concerns.@SMTOWNGLOBAL @NCTsmtown @NCTsmtown_DREAM @SMTOWN_Idn #SM_BOYCOTT_GENOCIDE pic.twitter.com/gAHbcDCMSx
— ًً (@LJNFEED) May 29, 2024
FOR FURTHER DETAILS: The deletion of NCT Taeyong’s post has caused chaos surrounding the Starbucks collaboration.
On May 31, Taeyong caused a stir when he shared a post on his Instagram Story. This came after several promotional posts from Starbucks Korea about their collaboration with NCT. Taeyong briefly shared the word “Boycott”on his Story, but it was removed after only 20 minutes.
Taeyong has stopped drinking SB since the boycott started and now even he’s in the military and has only few hours to use his phone he’s still being the only one who speak up and posting it on his IG declaring that he’s indeed boycotting sb and NOT supporting any collaboration. pic.twitter.com/kR4F4pMq1v
— Din (@Ieetaesthetic) May 30, 2024
It is also believed that Renjun made reference to the boycott by posting the word “peace”on his Instagram Story, accompanied by an emoji of a cup of coffee, a broken heart, and a red X.
this literally means no coffee/boycott coffee he’s speaking up about the starbucks collab we fucking love you renjun pic.twitter.com/YaGuGZAiTW
— s (@stillwithmark) May 31, 2024
Despite receiving praise from international fans, Taeyong and Renjun’s actions were met with criticism from Korean netizens. Some believe that their actions were selfish and could potentially harm the other members and future brand deals.
A post titled “Jisung and Haechan receiving questions about Palestine during their video calls, thanks to Taeyong and Renjun”was shared on Instiz, a popular South Korean online community forum, on May 31.
At that location, the original poster posted tweets from multiple fans who recounted their fan call experiences with Haechan and Jisung. It is worth mentioning that it was not just one fan, but several who brought up the topic among fans.
During a video featuring Jisung, fans expressed their concern for NCT fans who were currently hurting. They hoped that the idol could show love and support to those in Palestine. Jisung attentively listened and appeared to be worried, but unfortunately, the time had run out and he was unable to respond.
240531 뮤직코리아 영통 #지성 #JISUNG 💚~ …there are czennies who are really hurting right now and i hope you can show your love and support to czennies in palestine🥺🐹 ~ (concerned and attempting to listen carefully🥺)the time was up but i could tell he really wanted to… https://t.co/yUWpQjYKAi pic.twitter.com/BsoXMw0vkX
— Starbby ˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚ (@wonytokkki) May 31, 2024
The fan shared two videos featuring Haechan. In one, a sign was held up for the idol to read. While it did not explicitly mention the situation in Palestine, it urged Haechan to be cautious and considerate in his actions regarding the matter. Upon reading the sign, Haechan responded with a simple, “Okay.”
Guyssss, I’ve arrived at Haechan but I can’t get to Jaemin because I was playing a game and time ran out🥹🥲The message I received was; Haechan, I’m sure you know what sad things have happened in this world lately, but I know Haechan is a good person. So I hope when you guys… pic.twitter.com/IHtW8U7bak
— Erliana (@erliana_) May 31,
During another call, the fan expressed concern to Haechan about the current state of the world. However, they reassured Haechan of their confidence in him as a good person. In response, Haechan gratefully replied, “Thank you so much for your kind words.”
Despite international fans applauding these individuals for their courage in discussing the conflict, Korean netizens did not hold the same perspective.
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Despite their dislike for being compelled to acknowledge the dispute, individuals recognized that it could potentially create tension within their fanbase and future endeavors. Nevertheless, there were some who pointed out that the responsibility for this situation may not solely lie with Taeyong and Renjun, as international fans have been urging their beloved idols to boycott certain brands for several months.
Several comments were read,
- “Wow, this is a legendary eyesore. And I-Roaches will use this to praise them.”
- “No, but why would they make Jisung listen to this?”
- “Did Jisung commit a crime or something?”
- “Wow, this made me swear. Why would they go and say this to the kids?”
- “Because of Taeyong and Renjun? Don’t fans usually go up to everyone and tell them to boycott Starbucks?”
- “It’s not necessarily because of Taeyong and Renjun. They do this to everyone.”
- “Why are people claiming this has nothing to do with Taeyong and Renjun? They are the ones who spoke up in support of the boycott, so of course their fans will talk to the other members about it too.”
- “What crimes did Jisung commit? These roaches need to stop.”
We would like to know your thoughts on the situation. Please share them with us in the comments section below!
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