K-pop megastar BTS/Courtesy of Big Hit Entertainment

8th-grade boy penalized for insulting K-pop group

If you hope to become instantly famous in the K-pop world, you may have to hate an eminent band instead of loving it. K-pop refers to a genre of popular music originating in Korea.

An eighth-grade boy student generates controversies across the world as he was recently disciplined for attacking K-pop superstar BTS in cyberspace.

The boy, whose full name was not disclosed, created a Facebook page this June to defame the Seoul-based idol group and its fandom known as ARMY, or Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth.

The page, which included messages offensive to the seven-piece band and ARMY, prompted the boy’s classmates to report it to school authorities. BTS fans also sent a complaint.

His school, which is located in Ho Chi Minh City, forced the boy to make a public apology in front of other students. He was also suspended for four days.

The school’s senior official said that the measure is about the boy’s acts, not about the popularity of BTS.

According to local media, the official said that the boy was punished because he used social media to insult others, which is in violation of ethics, and school rules.

Watchers are split into two opposing camps with regard to the step.

Some argue that the punishment is too severe for an eighth-grade student, who are typically between 13 and 14, while others refute that he deserves it.

BTS is a world-famous boy band, which is also very popular in Southeast Asian countries.

The K-pop act rocked the globe this year by releasing its fourth studio album “Map of the Soul: Persona.”

Thereafter, the group went through a stadium concert tour, which encompassed such big cities as LA, New York, Chicago, Sao Paulo, London, and Paris.

After its first extended break this summer since its 2013 debut, BTS came back in October to perform in Saudi Arabia and Seoul.

 

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