“Bangtan’s crazy ex”: BTS fandom calls out MBC’s ‘Wild Idol’ boy group’s logo and name

BC's newest boy group has attracted the attention of the BTS fandom for the wrong reasons.

On December 16, MBC’s idol survival competition Extreme Debut: Wild Idol announced their debut lineup in their finale episode. The company posted the soon-to-debut seven-member group’s name, TAN, with their logo on the same day.

ARMYs claim the group’s logo and name resemble BTS on two core levels. They also believe that this is not a coincidence, claiming the uncanny similarity between the two bands is because of some unofficial “beef” the network channel MBC has with BTS.

"They are not even trying to hide it anymore" - ARMYs slam MBC’s decision to debut new boy group with similar name and logo to BTS

MBC’s newest boy group, TAN, comprises seven members. The members were chosen after passing grueling missions in the survival show Extreme Debut: Wild Idol. Members who made it to the group include Lee Changsun, Bang Taehoon, Kim Jiseong, Seo Sunghyuk, Lee Jaejun, Kim Hyunhyeob and Lim Jooahn.

Debuting is the ultimate dream for hundreds of trainees. As the seven members might have been excited about their debut, MBC’s one mistake has turned their excitement into a sour moment.

The group has been named TAN (also written as T.A.N), an abbreviation of To All Nations. The name implies the group’s hopes of spreading their music beyond South Korean borders. Their logo has two trapezoids placed on the sides, with space in the middle.

Netizens quickly noticed the similarities between the group’s name and logo to BTS’ name (Bangtan Sonyeondan) and logo (two trapezoids). Korean and international netizens think the similarities are nothing but a strategy from MBC to generate buzz around the new group.

People who watched the survival show explained the importance of the trapezoid logo. It represents the tower shown in the series from day one. As per them, the tower is the only meaningful thing in the program and that has led to the company designing their logo as the tower’s structure.

However, another thing that eerily resembles BTS, is the group’s name itself - TAN. BTS stands for Bangtan Sonyeondan in Korean. Fans worldwide fondly call them “tannies”.

The Butter group even has its 3D cartoon characters who are called TinyTAN. Even if fans ignored the similarity of logos thinking it was a mistake, naming the band TAN is unacceptable for ARMYs.

Many netizens believe the company should have done proper research before naming the group, while some have also sent the band their best wishes, realizing that it is not their fault that the name the company decided to go with has upset the BTS fandom.

About the author

Afreen has been a K-Pop Content Specialist at Sportskeeda since 2021. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English Literature, along with a Post-Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication. Afreen has over 4+ years of working in various positions including being an entertainment content writer with Pinkvilla’s K-pop division Hallyutalk and CineDope, and as a copywriter at Flying Cursor.

As per Afreen, she loves her work because she gets to write about the things she is obsessed with. Her thorough research and following the two-genuine-source rule of journalism helps her produce the most accurate content, along with helping her be up-to-date with the industry.

Afreen has had the privilege to interview The Rose's frontrunner, WOOSUNG, and LIONESSES, K-pop's first openly LGBTQ+ group. She is a big fan of SEVENTEEN, Stray Kids, BTS, and The Rose for their hard work, sincerity, and the comic relief their shows provide.

When she is off her shift, Afreen explores the streets of Nottingham in the UK, cooks, and listens to new music.

Know More