K-pop idol group BTS member Jimin has issued an apology on the day he returned to South Korea from the US.
BTS met US President Joe Biden at the White House on May 31 and discussed anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination.
They arrived in South Korea on June 2 and on the same day, Jimin took to the Weverse app and posted his apology .
“Hello ARMY, has everyone been doing well? I was able to go to the United States the other day, and I believe everyone is aware of the event that we participated in,” Jimin posted, according to SBS News.
He added, “I am thankful and honored that we were able to take part in this event to raise our voice in representation of all the ARMYs of different races, countries, and cultural backgrounds. However, I thought I might be so inexperienced to be standing there on behalf of you all.
“I apologize for causing concerns due to my inexperienced actions. I will do my best to become more mature so that I do not cause concerns to you in the future. You must have been worried since I didn't come here often. I will visit here more often. I always miss you, ARMY,” he said.
While he did not specify what he was apologizing for, Jimin was embroiled in a controversy in April due to his non-payment of 28 million won ($22,500) in health insurance premiums.
A Korean media reported on April 24 that Jimin’s apartment at Nine One Hannam located in Hannam, Seoul was seized by the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) for his failure to pay his health insurance premiums.
The NHIS supervises South Korea’s health insurance and it covers “all citizens who reside in Korea.”
It stated that last Jan. 25, the Yongsan, Seoul branch of NHIS seized the luxury apartment with an area of 244.35 sq. m., which Jimin bought for 5.9 billion won ($4.7 million) in May 2021.
It added that the property was registered under Korea’s Internet Registry Office (IROS) under the name of NHIS with “seizure” as the reason for registration.
The report added that Jimin paid the health insurance premiums after the NHIS sent four seizure notices by mail. The registration of his property in IROS was canceled on April 22, three months after the seizure registration following Jimin’s payment of his health insurance premiums.
Big Hit Music, meanwhile, cleared Jimin from the issue and said it was at fault.
The registration of his property in IROS was canceled on April 22, three months after the seizure registration following Jimin’s payment of his health insurance premiums.
“The company is the first to receive all mail that arrives at the artists’ dorms, and in the process of relaying it to the artist, a portion of the mail was omitted by mistake,” the agency said.
It added, “Jimin was not aware of the matter due to his overseas schedules, extended vacation since the end of last year, and his scheduled activities abroad after that.”
“As soon as he found out about the situation, he paid the full amount of charges, and the case has been resolved at the moment. We apologize for causing concern to the artist and his fans due to the company’s negligence,” Big Hit said, according to SBS News