A recent announcement made by the British Museum regarding its collaboration with the K-pop group NewJeans has received mixed reactions between two sides.
On 14 May, the British Museum revealed that they are working together with the “Super Shy” performers on their Audio app, stating, “Can’t stop listening to NewJeans? Now you can even tune in as they talk you through some of the most exciting and beautiful objects in the Museum, from the bronze head of Roman emperor Hadrian to a rare Korean ‘Moon jar’.”
“To listen to NewJean’s tour – and explore the rest of the Museum collection – head to the link in our bio to download the app,” the museum added.
However, the news was not received well by both NewJeans’ fans and the British Museum enthusiasts, though both for different reasons.
One NewJeans’ fan wrote, “Bro, why they got my girls supporting colonialism?” while another expressed that Bunnies, the fandom name for the group, would rather support the return of the Hoa Hakananai’a statue to Easter Island instead.
Meanwhile, the other side expressed annoyance over the museum using a K-pop group to promote a renowned institution, with one posting, “The pride of being a historic museum has been lost.”
(Photo Source: The Guardian, British Museum, British Museum IG)