COKODIVE Releases Official Statement About Decision Not To Sell Billboard’s BTS Magazines

They chose respect over money.
News
Tegan Sweeting
Tegan Sweeting

Billboard recently released an exclusive cover story and a photoshoot featuring BTS for their magazine’s August issue.

BTS on Billboard Magazine | Sunhye Shin

Upon reading the cover story, fans have called for a boycott. They are also calling for an apology to the group due to the controversial and offensive questions included in the interview.

Despite this, Billboard is still attempting to sell a box set, including 8 different covers of the magazine, for a total of $175.00 USD.

Like many of us, the popular K-Pop store COKODIVE, known for selling and shipping a variety of K-Pop merchandise worldwide, was initially excited about Billboard‘s feature of BTS. The sunny cheery photos were beautiful but misleading to the magazine’s full contents.

Of course, upon reading the full interview, everyone realized that there were no good intentions behind the feature. So, ARMYs advised stores, such as COKODIVE not to purchase and sell the magazine through their store.

| @cokodive/Instagram

Just an hour after their original post, they updated their followers to let them know that they would, in fact, not be selling it. They released an official statement explaining that they would not accept any disrespect of an artist they support.

COKODIVE won’t accept any insult, disrespect & discrimination towards any artist we support.

— COKODIVE

| COKODIVE

They recognized that it might be a loss not to sell the magazine in some ways because, as a business, they can profit, but they too did not want to let the original company, Billboard, profit off of insulting BTS.

Of course, we can take a profit by selling this magazine that has many beautiful photos of BTS as a business but if the contents of the articles do not match with the beautiful photos, we won’t sell a single of them.

— COKODIVE

| Sunhye Shin

They said that first and foremost, they are “true friends” to fandom and artists, and since “friends don’t hurt each other,” they would have no part in distributing a hurtful feature story.

We are here to do business but first we are here to be true friends with the artists & fandom.

Friends don’t hurt each other
Period.

— COKODIVE

| Sunhye Shin

Fans responded positively to COKODIVE’s statement, thanking them for respecting BTS by not selling the magazine. They called their decision “professional business.”

| @cokodive/Instagram

They are applauding COKODIVE’s integrity. Many ARMYs are sending messages of thanks to the company on social media.

Some ARMYs are even hosting giveaways, purchasing other products from COKODIVE as their way of showing support back to the company.

Fans hope that other K-Pop stores will follow COKODIVE’s example in joining the boycott and refusing to sell Billboard.

Read COKODIVE’s full statement below:

Source: @cokodive

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