BTS Jin had a unique, touching plan when he released his solo track, Super Tuna, on his 30th birthday on December 4.
The video, which the label uploaded on BTS' official YouTube channel, already raked millions of viewers. In fact, it immediately surpassed the 20 million views mark on the first day of its release alone.
This led to Super Tuna becoming no. 1 on the trending list for four consecutive days.
On top of that, Jin's hit song joined the Top 10 Hot Trending Songs of the Billboard Hot 100 charts. As of Friday, the hashtag #SuperTuna has been seen 100 million times on TikTok.
However, it was not well-received by everyone as Japanese internet users recently raised concerns against Super Tuna's lyrics.
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BTS Jin's Super Tuna Went Wrong
Several Japanese users protested against the K-pop idol's use of East Sea in the song's lyrics. It pertains to the bodies of water between Korea and Japan.
However, the name has been an issue between the two countries since Korea calls it the East Sea while Japan refers to it as the Sea of Japan. Most internet users questioned what name they should call the body of water after Jin called it the way Koreans usually do.
The Korea Times also collected reactions from several users, with one Japanese Twitter user saying they strongly protest for HYBE to modify the lyrics. On the other hand, Korean Twitter users said it should not be an issue at all since the K-pop idol is a Korean national.
"But whatever his intention was, Jin is promoting the name, East Sea, globally, and we should thank him for that," another Korean said.
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Activist Seo Kyung-Duk immediately broke his silence after the protest emerged. He has been launching campaigns that aim to rectify imprecise Korean history outside the county. According to the activist, the anger the Japanese internet users showed is a sign that Korea has a growing influence on the international scene.
"This incident shows their fear over the global influence of BTS, and increased cases overseas where the names, East Sea and the Sea of Japan, are used concurrently. This seems to be the best moment for us to promote the term East Sea among the international community," he said.
BTS Jin Has One Wish About Super Tuna Challenge
In another news, Jin reportedly asked fans not to do the Super Tuna challenge – but his reason is not related to the recent protest.
On WeVerse, the K-pop idol warned ARMYs that his label might decide to re-record the song and complete it once it continues to become viral.
"No, why are you doing the Super Tuna Challenge, when there are so many songs you can choose. If it becomes a bigger deal, the company might want to make a second verse…" he said, as shared by BTS Weverse Translation on Instagram.
Fortunately, as of the writing, Jin remains safe from what the company would require him to do with his Super Tuna.
Check back for more stories, updates, and rumors about BTS Jin here at EpicStream!