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On June 13, 2025, BTS' Jungkook was seen wearing a cap during the rehearsal for his performance at BTS' j-hope's Seoul concert as part of the HOPE ON THE STAGE solo world tour. Notably, the cap read "MAKE TOKYO GREAT AGAIN," which is a spin-off of the phrase used by Donald Trump for the United States, "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN."
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As netizens began to criticize the idol for his choice of accessory, given South Korea's relationship and colonial history with Japan, Jungkook soon took to Weverse and wrote an apology letter regarding the same. He took accountability for the issue caused and also explained that he was unaware of the political and historical meaning the phrase carried while wearing the cap.
Soon after his apology, the controversy largely settled down, but fans of aespa were not happy about the same. People pointed out that aespa's Karina was in a similar situation back in May 2025, amid South Korea's elections.
One of her Instagram posts sparked speculations that the idol's outfit and choice of emojis for the caption allegedly communicated her support for the conservative candidate, Kim Moon-soo.
Even after her apology for the incident, fans expressed that many netizens continued to direct harsh criticism and hate towards the idol. Since the same was not being followed for Jungkook during his controversy concerning politics, several fans pointed out the alleged bias and double standards.
However, fans of Jungkook soon shut down these speculations by saying that these two situations were not comparable, pointing out that K-pop idols are expected to follow strict guidelines during elections.
BTS' Jungkook write apology letter to fans following recent political controversy
On June 13, soon after the picture of Jungkook spread on the internet, the idol took to Weverse to write an apology for the same. He started off by expressing that he was saddended by the fact that his first message to fans after a long time was an apology letter.
"My heart feels heavy writing this kind of message after meeting you for the first time in a long while. I sincerely apologize for the disappointment and discomfort I caused many people through the phrase that was written on the hat I wore during today’s rehearsal," he said.
The idol continued:
"The fact that I disappointed and hurt people due to my shortcomings by wearing the hat without fully checking the historical and political meaning carried by the phrase is something that I am taking very seriously. I am nothing but sorry."
He concluded his letter by expressing that he acknowledged the criticism and had hence discarded the cap.
"There is no excuse, regardless of my reasons. I was lacking, and I was careless. In the future, I will think more deeply before each and every one of my actions. I will humbly accept all criticism and reproof for my mistake. The hat was immediately disposed of. Once again, I apologize."
Regardless, the back and forth between the fans regarding the reactions for their political controversy is still ongoing.
