Foreign Affairs Ministry conducts internal investigation into BTS Jungkook hat case

K-pop

Published: 25 Oct. 2022, 14:27

Foreign Affairs Ministry conducts internal investigation into BTS Jungkook hat case

Foreign affairs minster Park Jin speaks during the National Assembly Building in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul [NEWS1]

Foreign Affairs Minister Park Jin said that his ministry is "conducting an internal investigation" into the claims that one of its employees illegally obtained BTS member Jungkook's hat and attempted to sell it online.

"If the claims are true, the ministry plans to strictly handle the issue in accordance with the relevant regulations," Park said during the Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee's audit hearing at the National Assembly building in Yeongdeungpo District, western Seoul, on Monday.

"However, it is difficult to discuss specific details about the investigation because it involves personal information."

Park did acknowledge that they have pinpointed a suspect.

The bucket hat allegedly worn by BTS's Jungkook with a price tag of 10 million won ($7,000) appeared on an online flea market platform on Monday. The seller used an employee's ID card that belongs to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prove their identity. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

On Oct. 17, a netizen claiming to be a full-time employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempted to sell a bucket hat allegedly belonging to BTS member Jungkook on the online flea market platform Bungae Jangteo.

As proof that the person was an employee at the ministry, the seller uploaded a picture of an employee ID, with the picture of the face covered.

The price set by the netizen was 10 million won ($7,000).

"When BTS members visited the Passport Division to create diplomatic passports, Jungkook left this bucket hat in the waiting area,” the seller wrote. “After reporting the hat as lost property, we waited for six months, but there was no phone call or visit to acquire the hat. Therefore, the person who found the hat now has ownership.”

The post infuriated BTS fans, condemning the seller that he or she has no right to claim ownership of the hat and sell it online for such an outrageous price.

Shortly after the controversies, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that BTS members did visit the ministry's building last year, but said that there was no record of any lost property.

Under the Korean law, taking ownership of lost property without notifying the police is a crime that can be sentenced by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 3 million won.

The post has been deleted since.

BY LEE JIAN [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]