Jungkook is facing backlash for wearing a “Make Tokyo Great Again” cap during rehearsals for J-Hope’s Seoul concert shortly after his military discharge. The slogan, a twist on Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again,” stirred anger due to South Korea’s fraught history with Japan.
The controversy brought fresh comparisons to aespa Karina’s recent political flare-up. Last month, Karina faced harsh criticism over an Instagram post showing a black and red jacket with the number two and a rose emoji. Netizens linked it to conservative presidential candidate Kim Moon Soo, sparking a viral backlash. Fans nicknamed her “MAGArina.” Karina later deleted the post.
A viral tweet on X (formerly Twitter) fan debate erupted, pointing out the double standard between reactions to Jungkook and Karina’s controversies.
“Everyone who tore Karina to shreds, look how quiet they are when it’s a male idol ㅋㅋㅋ
Yoon Suk Yeol, Trump, and now the hat Jungkook wore:
MAKE ___ GREAT AGAIN, Trump’s original slogan MAGA = symbol of the far-right, conservatism, and white supremacy.
MAKE TOKYO GREAT AGAIN = a pro-imperialist, right-wing Japanese slogan.
So, this’ll blow up even bigger than the Karina thing, right?”
— @han_jj70410
Some argue the cases aren’t comparable since far-right implications of Jungkook’s hat are less known than Karina’s conservative symbolism. Celebrities usually avoid political imagery during elections.
“I actually really liked Karina and couldn’t care less about Jungkook, but objectively speaking, these scandals aren’t the same.
Realistically, a lot of people genuinely don’t know that hat slogan is tied to far-right ideology, so it’s believable that he didn’t know either.
But Karina went ahead and posted that photo herself when the entire country was on edge and all celebrities were being careful not to even show one or two fingers.”
— @chikpokk
Jungkook quickly addressed the issue on Weverse, apologizing for his “lack of awareness” and taking responsibility for not checking the phrase’s meaning. He said he “immediately discarded the hat.”
“- Admits he didn’t fully understand the meaning of the slogan
– Acknowledges he was careless and at fault with no excuses
– Accepts all criticism
– Immediately got rid of the hat
Whatever point you’re trying to make, saying ‘we tore Karina apart so we have to do the same to him’ is a completely wrong way of thinking!”
— @_tian_ow
Many deny gender bias shaped public criticism of Karina, saying the backlash was proportional to her actions.
“Why do people keep pushing this idea that Karina got dragged just because she’s a woman? That’s some next-level victim complex. It’s not that women on Twitter went after Karina because she’s female and let male idols off the hook. They dragged her because she actually did something wrong. So why are y’all deliberately trying to frame this as women hating on other women? You’re literally the ones doing that. The hypocrisy is wild.”
— @sun_16759
Yet, some disagree, accusing the public of applying double standards. They argue Karina’s post was ambiguous while Jungkook’s hat carried an explicit far-right message.
“The same people who insisted Karina deserved to be criticized said it wasn’t because she’s a woman, it’s just that she’s more famous, so people talked about it more than they would for a male idol. So why did BTS not get more attention than Karina? She even posted something that included blue, but people still dragged her just because there was red in it. Meanwhile Jungkook’s hat had an actual slogan on it.”
— @llllll1yllllll
Karina apologized via Bubble for causing worry over the “misunderstanding,” promising to “pay more attention” going forward.
“If would’ve been nice if people had said, ‘Let’s just move on~’ for Karina too ㅋㅋ But seeing how people are still going after her to shield their oppa… yeah, that was never gonna happen ㅠ”
— @Ou4uH51jq42701
Others insist misogyny played a role in the different public reactions.
“‘Women’s Era’ [Daum Cafe board] over-analysis ON
A country that goes soft on men and forgives them way too easily.”
— @han_jj70410
Meanwhile, netizens are watching how HYBE has handled Jungkook’s controversy, with responses to the company’s approach producing unexpected results.
