BTS Selective Political Silence: A Fandom’s Dilemma

BTS has commanded unconditional love from its fans through an intersection of art and activism, but now the South Korean boy band’s fandom ARMY is increasingly questioning it over its silence on Palestine

By Anwesha Rana

In the summer of 2023, shortly before the world order that we were taught to respect would again implode, I was pouring my heart and eyes out about the all-consuming, parasocial love I felt for a seven-man group who had sung, rapped, and danced their way into millions of hearts. I waxed on about the beauty and sincerity of their art, the comfort, the pure, unbridled joy of it all. Much of this love hinged on what these artists seemingly stood for, the message they imparted, and their vision.

They seemed so alive; so aware, speaking for the youth, about the passion of art and of changing the world. Their music inspired a vision for a better world, where hope and action would be in an endless loop. Call me an idiot, but how could that have landed me anywhere else but in love? And yet. It is March of 2025, 18 months since that summer of love. We have seen the absolute collapse of economies and morals and facades and the West and, yes, also a genocide has been raging in between.

There have been anguished cries of those killed and those condemned to a life of unending grief and loss. There have been protests and rallies—at a cost, of course—and we are fed on an endless and also seemingly inconsequential relay of videos of death and destruction in real-time. Through all of this, people—regular people like you and me—have tried to cope with this dystopia in their own ways. When times were difficult, like the pandemic, for instance, I found comfort and shelter in BTS. Now, in a world of collapse and silence from quarters that can make a difference, what brings comfort?

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This is not a condemnation of BTS, or myself, and not even of Love. I am thinking about the responsibilities of love. Why do we impose the responsibility of unconditionality on love? I wonder about the origins of that. It seems to me that love is necessarily conditional. Why do we love anyone? Surely, there are reasons. Do the reasons change, and does, with it, our love? Surely reason then becomes a condition? If we love without condition, what is it that we love? What is it to love without stipulation, or, perhaps, despite that? Is it love only when we ask nothing of it, and when we do, does it bring suffering? Does it make us unhappy? Is that why women suffer (yes, yes, not all men, perhaps another piece for this)? Is this why we do not find love, and if we do, is it inevitable for it to be imperfect? Is love possible at all, then?

The Litmus Test

A part of the fandom mobilised to raise awareness and funds for Palestine (led with incredible courage by by ARMYforPalestine) and explain the concept, methods, and impact of boycotting while an uncomfortably larger part of the fandom moved quickly to perpetuate Zionist propaganda, report and shut down pro-Palestine accounts, and display brazen racism and Islamophobia in all their many forms.

Being chronically online is a curse, but I would rather suffer reality than nurture illusions. Online is very much the real world, and if you are online as much as I (and about three million others) am, there is no escape. The disappointments are too many and too real. Who is political? The most common refrain the anti-boycott side of the fandom has sung is that BTS is not political. But are they not? They certainly sing of politics. They have represented their government, even holding diplomatic passports at one point.

I am aware that in some of those cases, they have not had an active choice—the South Korean entertainment scene is a minefield—and with the additional discourse on their military enlistment, politics has not been far from their lives. But who needs to be political to condemn genocide? They are not politicians. Yes, but neither are civilians who have taken huge risks in leading the resistance and in organising solidarity. This sentiment is so frivolous it nearly makes me laugh. Oh, to have the innocence to believe politicians perform their politics well! To think that politicians will save us (hear, hear, Bernie and AOC
fandoms)!

One People, Timeless Fraternity: Palestinian Christians, Muslims

If we are not political, we are aides to the oppressor. The insulation provided by our conveniences and privileges makes us easy prey. Why not deploy troops of millions to deny the many forms of oppression? If we are not aware, not active, we are playthings at the hands of imperialist regimes. It is devastating how easy it was for our once-unshakeable fandom to become just that. Now the fandom is festered with Zionists, Islamophobes, racists, and if they are here, we know that all other categories of discrimination and oppression are bound to follow.

Perhaps equally alarmingly, it is a direct reflection of the world, and at a microcosmic level, of HYBE (the parent agency within which BTS operate) itself. Scooter Braun, who is accused of inciting and aiding genocide and stealing artists’ work (Bad Blood, anyone?), is the CEO of HYBE America and sits on the Board of Directors for HYBE. The call to boycott HYBE for anything that generates revenue—endorsed even by BDS—has seen action but also resistance, resulting in suspended accounts, extreme bullying, and harassment.

Selective Impact

Through it all, BTS has gone to the military; some have returned, some are still serving, some have released songs, some have signed huge brand deals, some are on a semi-world tour. And yet. Why must an artist speak for a cause? For impact. For conscience, perhaps, but that seems optional for all. For PR, at the very least? The fandom boasts of the BTS impact, but that, too, seems to apply selectively. We are all too aware of what a sign from BTS could do for the movement. Yes, I hear you, anti-boycotters and hard stans, ‘BTS cannot bring world peace’. Sure. But they can bring funds, and they can bring awareness. They can change the tide of discourse and influence just about anything. This is not a fantasy I have conjured – there is very real evidence for this. Think Black Lives Matter, for just one example.

I have struggled with their silence. All images from Palestine are haunting. There was one from that endless heap that was circulated a lot on pro-Pal accounts and in calls for donations. It was a photocard of Kim Taehyung, one of the seven members of BTS, in the rubble in Gaza. Palestine has BTS fans. Palestine is very real. And yet. My friend Surbhi, a baby ARMY as we call new initiates in the fandom, and I were discussing how the one thing that drew us to BTS most strongly was their way of humanising everyone and all experiences.

When they said All, I genuinely believed it meant All. And yet. S, in her ever-steady way, pointed out how she does not expect that BTS will ever speak up, and that this is a brand, after all. I agree. I know they will not – there is just no incentive. For anybody who might ask of me, as they have of every other pro-Pal ARMY online, as to why I am demanding accountability of this artist and no other, the answer is love.

I am not a ‘music person’, and I genuinely could not name a single song by any other artist. I only know and love BTS, and therefore I have expectations. Expectations that have been set by what the artist themselves have defined for and through their art and fans. Expectation, responsibility, disappointment – the loop draws itself. To love is to demand responsibility. Love is personal, but love is also political.

Note: I acknowledge Army4Palestine, BDS, every post I have retweeted, and everybody who has participated in the boycott, and Surbhi Karwa for the conversations, many of which are reflected here.