Kim Taehyung’s Brand Deal Prompts Questions About BTS’s Values

BTS member Kim Taehyung, or as most people around the world know him, V, has sparked outrage over a recent decision to be the newest face of the Coca-Cola Zero in South Korea.

He is being called “tone deaf” and “deeply disappointing” because he decides to work with Coca-Cola while the genocide in Gaza and as the company is on the BDS list.

On July 31, it was revealed via photoshoots of him on social media platforms such as Twitter that the boy band member is now the face of the Coca-Cola brand Zero, with Coca-Cola Korea’s campaign for the product rolling out the next day.

The new campaign for Coca-Cola Zero was presented with a big banner and a hashtag saying #BestCokeEver. Fans found that instead of the K-pop girl group NewJeans that Coca-Cola was using HYBE labelmate V as their next representative to work with.

Working for big companies is one of the most common forms of endorsement for celebrities, so V getting to be the face of Coke Zero is not something that should come as a surprise.

However, because of his past image of BTS and other BTS members speaking about issues concerning the Black Lives Matter movement, V being on the controversial brand is creating political and ethical debate.

Gap Between V’s Image and Decisions

BTS members have spoken out against the discrimination Asians have been receiving during the pandemic, and even took a stance and showed support for Black Lives Matter previously. However, BTS as a whole has not said or done anything about Gaza and the humanitarian crisis that is currently going on.

The backlash on V is coming in heavy because of the gap in the group’s image, with V being the new face of Coca-Cola. A tweet was trending from fans who are outraged by his decision.

V has been previously called out by a small number of fans before for promoting brands like McDonald’s that were being boycotted as well for the relationship with Israel.

Fans were not pleased that V was sharing a photo of McDonald’s fries on July 14 with a caption saying “binggoonggoon day?” which roughly translates to What a wonderful day?

As you can imagine, with V’s past and BTS’s image, this recent incident makes it seem like a large step away from the public image BTS has for itself. This also creates more friction for BTS on the topics of human rights violations, as they choose to be silent on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Coca-Cola is also operating on Occupied Lands in Palestine.

BTS’ V has been called out due to his recent decision, as mentioned above. However, V is not the first, or even the most notable, celebrity being associated with the company, which has also been recently being boycotted itself.

In 2024, Coca-Cola came under heavy criticism over an advertisement in Bangladesh in which the company stated that it was not connected with Israel. Activists swiftly responded to Coca-Cola’s denial, accusing the corporation of profiting from Israeli operations.

Activists have regularly used the hashtag #BoycottCocaCola in support of Palestine, claiming that the Coca-Cola bottling company has been on a “vacation in occupied Palestine” since 2022. This backlash of the company stems from Coca-Cola Israel bottling plants being located in illegal settlements.

According to WhoProfits, a Tel Aviv-based research center that tracks the involvement of Israeli and international corporations in the occupation of Palestine, “Coca-Cola Israel operates several facilities in the Atarot Settlement Industrial Zone in the occupied West Bank.” The area was “declared closed to Palestinians in 1967” under international law, but Israel has occupied the place.

It also states that, “The Tabor Winery, operated by Coca-Cola Israel, sources some of its grapes from the occupied West Bank, as well as from the Syrian Golan Heights, which Israel occupied in 1967. According to Tabor, its grapes in the West Bank are purchased from nearby Israeli farmers.”

The information that WhoProfits collected made Coca-Cola a common target for pro-Palestine boycotts, and the large K-pop fandom of V is currently pushing for the boycotts of the company as well.

BTS V’s Endorsement of Coke Called “Deeply Disappointing”

Fans were not pleased with V posting a recent photo about his work with Coca-Cola Zero that was as his tweet or even using one of the official hashtags from Coca-Cola’s newest campaign for their product.

A popular message to ARMY members on social media platforms such as Twitter reads: “Dear Taehyung BTS, Coca Cola has been operating on the stolen land of the Palestinians, some of whom are your ARMY. Please don’t work with and promote its products. Please educate yourself. Cancel the endorsement and stand with humanity.” This is all about the endorsement that V has just done as the newest face of Coca-Cola Zero.

Fans of BTS, especially ARMYs overseas, are heavily critical of BTS, especially V, not choosing a side over the humanitarian crisis and genocide that is currently happening in Gaza, Palestine. This was the main reason why BTS received backlash over their plans to launch a shopping mall in Indonesia.

Fans want V to change his ways of endorsements and choose wisely when it comes to issues concerning human rights violations, especially during times when genocides are currently taking place. Whether or not BTS will change their actions to please fans remains to be seen, but for now, the international fan base of BTS is not happy with the idol and his actions.