‘I have nothing against South Korea, you can\u2019t accuse me of xenophobia only because this boy band is from South Korea.’<\/b>
\nBTS are one of the most successful and influential pop groups in the world right now, despite living at a time when racist violence and hate against the Asian community is raging due to ignorant misunderstanding of COVID-19. It\u2019s appalling that this kind of prejudice is so prevalent still, and normalized to the point that German radio DJ Matthias Matuschik for the station Bayern 3 compared these monumental artists to coronavirus last week. Live on the air on Wednesday, February 24, Matuschik played the BTS cover of Coldplay\u2019s \u201cFix You\u201d that the group performed as part of an MTV Unplugged show, and proceeded to insult them. According to the Associated Press, the DJ dubbed BTS\u2019 cover \u201cblasphemy\u201d \u2014 though it hews extremely close to the tone and delivery of the original \u2014 and compared the band to \u201csome crappy virus that hopefully there will be a vaccine for soon as well.\u201d According to AP\u2019s summary of Matuschik\u2019s on-air comments, he began to backpedal claiming \u201cI have nothing against South Korea, you can\u2019t accuse me of xenophobia only because this boy band is from South Korea. I have a car from South Korea. I have the coolest car around.\u201d Finally he added that as penance for their version of \u201cFix You,\u201d BTS \u201cwill be vacationing in North Korea for the next 20 years.\u201d The radio station and the DJ himself have both since issued apologies for the DJ\u2019s comments, which are below. Bayern 3\u2019s statement: We apologize unreservedly for the remarks made by presenter Matthias Matuschik in his live broadcast. His choice of words to comment on BTS were unacceptable. Both he himself and we at BAYERN 3 know that it is not enough to simply intend a different meaning. If statements are perceived by many people as offensive or racist, then they were. However, we feel the need to stress that Matthias\u2019 social engagement to promote a peaceful togetherness among people (in Bavaria) is testament to his conviction that everyone must be treated equally \u2014 regardless of their nationality, culture, skin color, sexual orientation or religion. BAYERN 3 also expressly and resolutely distances itself from any form of racism, exclusion and discrimination. In the meantime, the presenter and his family receive serious threats. We ask, despite every sympathy for the indignation, that the discussion must remain on a substantive level. We will work through the issue in more detail with Matthias and the entire team and ensure that such serious mistakes will not happen again in the future. Matthias Matuschik\u2019s statement: I am deeply saddened about the reactions my comments in my live show have caused \u2014 and first of all: I am very sorry and I would like to unreservedly apologize. In my presentation, I was primarily annoyed by the fact that the boy band BTS covered the song \u201cFix you\u201d by Coldplay, which I hold in high esteem. The nationality of the seven boys should not matter \u2014 mentioning it and making the connection with a virus was completely out of line. I have given this a lot of thought over the past 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 only how words are perceived \u2014 not how they were intended. People who have known me for a while know that, in addition to my work as a radio DJ and cabaret artist, I have also been very active against right-wing activities and for those seeking protection since the influx of refugees in 2015. It makes me all the sadder that I have hurt others with an ill-considered statement (that was intended to be funny) and put myself in a false light. I have made a big mistake from which I will learn. I am very sorry. Plenty of artists who have collaborated with BTS or are simply fans of their music have also tweeted their indignation and outrage over Matuschik\u2019s remarks, some of those reactions are below. Halsey also wrote a note on her Instagram Stories on Friday night expressing her outrage. \u201c\u201dI am horrified to read the comments made by Matthias Matuschik,\u201d she wrote. \u201cRacism and xenophobia cannot be thinly veiled as \u2018on air humor.\u2019 Irresponsible and disgusting statements in a time where hate speech and violent behavior towards Asian communities are skyrocketing. This is unacceptable. I hope a better apology to BTS, and the Asian communities across the world, is on its way.\u201d standing by my @bts_bighit brothers and everyone continuously effected by racist remarks as hurtful as what we heard on Bayern 3. no one should have to endure this and together we must stand up and stop it lauv (@lauvsongs) February 26, 2021 Ewwww I just heard that clip of the radio presenter. First of all, you fucked up the second you mentioned BTS. Army\u2019s don\u2019t play like that. And I hope you will never sleep peacefully again, knowing you ruined your career over being racist ???? I stand with my friends \u2014 Zara Larsson (@zaralarsson) February 27, 2021 And this is a bigger issue than one racist radio host speaking about BTS. This is about racism against Asians and xenophobia. we must all speak up, which is the bare minimum, to show people like him that his words have consequences. \u2014 Zara Larsson (@zaralarsson) February 27, 2021 Absolutely unacceptable the way radio host Matthias Matuschik speaks hate and racism in general let alone to my brothers. I stand with @bts_BigHit to condemn hate of any kind and stop this kind of prejudice wherever we can. We must stand together. Spread love not hate. \u2014 Steve Aoki (@steveaoki) February 27, 2021 And finally, it\u2019s worth noting that for their part, Coldplay loved the cover: \uc544\ub984\ub2e4\uc6b4 @bts_twt ???????????? Love c, g, w & j #BTSUnplugged https:\/\/t.co\/XkHAwMi0sl \u2014 Coldplay (@coldplay) February 24, 2021 Check it out above if you haven\u2019t seen it yet. BTS have yet to comment on the situation.<\/p>\n