Limited Budget, South Korean Presidential Inauguration Committee Unable To Invite BTS

JAKARTA - K-pop superstar BTS will not be invited to appear at the inauguration ceremony of South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol. Previously, the inauguration preparatory committee had considered inviting BTS to appear at the inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly grounds on May 10.

Fans criticized the news and asked BTS not to be politicized. Responding to this criticism, the Chairman of the Inauguration Committee on Monday, April 11 confirmed that he would not invite BTS.

"We believe it will not be suitable to invite BTS this time," said the chairman of the inauguration event committee Park Joo-sun at a press conference in South Korea, quoted from Yonhap.

He added that the president-elect wanted to hold a simple ceremony promoting national unity along with children, vulnerable populations and lesser-known stars.

"Especially with the limited budget for the inauguration event, it may be difficult to invite global idol stars, such as BTS, so we decided not to invite them this time," he said.

Park hopes that there will be an opportunity to invite BTS to an upcoming event that is more befitting of the group's status and fame. He also rejected the notion of the inauguration ceremony as a "political event", saying it was a state event regulated by law.