After much political confusion, BTS will not attend Yoon's inauguration

BTS [BIG HIT MUSIC]

Boy band BTS will not be attending the inauguration of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol next month.

During a press conference at the transition team’s office in Tongui-dong, central Seoul, on Monday, Park Joo-sun, the head of the inauguration ceremony preparation committee, announced that the committee has decided to not invite BTS due to their “limited budget and other various circumstances.”

“We did discuss the possibility of including a performance by BTS for the meaningful event, as just one of many different ideas the committee came up with,” Park said.

Park proceeded to explain that Yoon said the ceremony should be “small but significant,” which can be achieved better by inviting the younger generation and lesser-known celebrities instead.

“Therefore, we have come to the conclusion that it would not be appropriate to feature BTS as a performer,” Park said.

Controversy first sparked earlier this month when Park made a guest appearance on the KBS radio program “Joo Jin-woo Live.” When the host asked Park if he has plans for a BTS performance at the inauguration, Park replied, “That’s also being discussed right now.”

When BTS fans, called ARMY, learned that the band might attend the ceremony, many voiced their concerns that the government is “using BTS for political purposes.” BTS’s agency HYBE also released a statement saying, “The company did not get a formal invitation and just heard about [the possibility of BTS attending the inaugural ceremony] through the news.”

The next day, on April 6, the presidential transition committee and inauguration ceremony preparation committee failed to be on the same page.

The presidential transition committee said that it had never taken BTS’s attendance into consideration before, and two hours later, the inauguration ceremony preparation committee told media that “it’s not a settled matter.”

Later the same day, the transition committee’s spokesperson’s office revealed that the inauguration ceremony preparation committee’s reported remarks were not its official position on the matter.

The spokesperson’s office for the inauguration ceremony preparation committee released another statement the same day, changing their stance, saying that “It’s true we have reviewed the possibility for inviting BTS to perform during our discussions, but it hasn’t been confirmed.”

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]