PETALING JAYA, May 27 — “You think you look like BTS? Do you think you have the same complexion?”
Those were the words of renowned Malaysian composer and rock guitarist Edrie Hashim which reverberated on social media as K-pop fans fumed at the insults hurled by the rock veteran.
In an eight-minute video as part of his ‘Let’s Talk With Eddie Hashim’ series on the musician’s YouTube channel, the 45-year-old referenced rocker Awie’s statement last month that it was a waste of money to bring K-pop’s biggest musical act in BTS to Malaysia.
While the original video uploaded on May 13 didn’t garner as much traction with 25,000 views to date, a shorter version reuploaded on Twitter last Thursday brought on a storm over the weekend.
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— Muhammad Ashraf (@Muhamma88901901) 23 May 2019
Many were left smarting over Edrie’s pointed tone and comments which some deemed ridiculous, while only a few echoed support for the musician.
In the video, Edrie said while everyone had opinions, it was the reaction of K-pop fans that irked him.
“The words they use are not suitable for youngsters who are talking to someone older. It’s obvious by their profile pictures they’re just kids!” he laughed off in the video.
“Do you think you’re Korean? Did you not learn to respect your elders?”
He said the emotional and disrespectful attacks on Awie and his achievements showed that the youngsters lacked an identity, and thought they were Koreans.
“What’s wrong with you? You think BTS knows who you are? To protect them so vehemently?
“BTS doesn’t know who you are. They take you no different from their fans in Sri Lanka, like in India or in Myanmar.”
