Recently, Indonesian NCT fans sent a protest truck to a Starbucks near Seongsu Station, expressing their discontent with the coffee giant’s collaboration with the SM Entertainment boy group NCT.
The truck displayed bold messages condemning the partnership due to Starbucks’ alleged financial ties to entities involved in the Israel-Palestine conflict.
#SM_Boycott_Genocide. We cannot support any collaborations between your company’s artists, including NCT, and any company that raises funds for the genocide in Palestine. We will not stand back. We hope you will drop all collaborations with companies being boycotted.
— NCT fans
NCT’s brand collaboration with Starbucks has caused a massive backlash from their international fans. Not only have they announced an official boycott of the items released, but they have also started unfollowing the group and its members’ social media accounts.
Starbucks Korea announces exclusive collaboration with NCT for drinks, food and merchandise.https://t.co/1HvzJcbIYN pic.twitter.com/7S7POPVBLf
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) May 30, 2024
Hello SM @SMTOWN_Idn !
We do NOT want NCT or any of your artists to associate or promote S**BUC*KS, or any companies that are financing a genocide in Palestine.
Please take note of our concerns.@SMTOWNGLOBAL @NCTsmtown#SM_BOYCOTT_GENOCIDE pic.twitter.com/LhdXQtQBA8
— NCTzen Humanity & Help Indonesia (@nctzenhumanity) May 29, 2024
Leader Taeyong — who is currently enlisted — also allegedly commented on the issue through a now-deleted Instagram post. He also got backlash from Korean fans for his move.
The protest quickly caught the attention of Korean netizens, but their reactions were far from supportive. The incident went viral on local community sites, particularly on TheQoo, where a post featuring photos of the protest truck amassed over 21,500 views and 350 comments. Netizens didn’t agree with the fans’ move to use a protest truck, even going as far as calling it “brainless.”
- “This is really a disaster…”
- “This is hilarious. You should have sent it to the head office ㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ What a brainless move”
- “Isn’t Starbucks Korea different from Starbucks USA…”
- “Send it to the US headquarters”
- “If the fans’ opinions are like that, it’s even weirder to argue about it”
- “If they have that kind of money, they should just donate it. It seems like they’re just using this as an excuse to bash Korean idols for fun”
You can read more about the ongoing Starbucks x NCT issue here:
NCT Fans Announce A Boycott Of The Group’s Latest Brand Endorsement In Support Of Palestine
Source: TheQoo
