German radio station sorry after host calls K-pop band BTS a 'crappy virus'
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A German radio station has apologised after one of its hosts likened South Korean boyband BTS to the coronavirus during a live show on Wednesday.
Bayern 3 said in a statement on Thursday that Mr Matthias Matuschik's choice of words had gone too far, though it was in no way meant to be hurtful or racist.
"We apologise for this in every way possible," the station said.
The station's apology came after Mr Matuschik called a BTS cover of Coldplay's Fix You blasphemous and described the boyband as "some crappy virus that hopefully there will be a vaccine for soon as well".
"I have nothing against South Korea," he added. "You can't accuse me of xenophobia only because this boyband is from South Korea... I have a car from South Korea. I have the coolest car around."
He then said BTS "will be vacationing in North Korea for the next 20 years" as penance for its cover of the British rock band's hit song.
Coldplay themselves, in a tweet on Wednesday, called the BTS version "beautiful", without mentioning Mr Matuschik's remarks.
The Associated Press reported that the comments were found offensive not just in South Korea but also in Germany and elsewhere, with many social media users immediately condemning them.
Many South Koreans living abroad also expressed concerns that the remarks could incite anti-Asian violence, already on the rise in many places, the report added.
BTS, which debuted in 2013, has since become the biggest boyband in the world, selling out stadiums worldwide and delivering a video message at the United Nations General Assembly this year, AP said.
The station said Mr Matuschik was "presenting his opinion in an ironic, exaggerated way... He just wanted to express his displeasure over the... cover version".
Also on Thursday, former United States National Basketball Association (NBA) star Jeremy Lin posted on Facebook that he has experienced racism while playing.
"Being a nine-year NBA veteran doesn't protect me from being called 'coronavirus' on the court," said the former New York Knicks star, without elaborating on the incident.