TIME Makes Changes To Controversial BTS Bookazine

TIME is making changes to a special edition bookazine after receiving backlash from BTS fans.

Earlier this week, TIME opened pre-orders for TIME BTS: The K-Pop Band that Conquered the World in partnership with the publisher Meredith. Fans criticized the bookazine’s cover design, pointing out the high saturation and composite group photo that was pieced together from other BTS press photos. Some even doubted that the bookazine was an official publication.

In response, TIME assured fans that TIME BTS: The K-Pop Band that Conquered the World is in fact legitimate and will be released at the end of the month.

A note to BTS fans: The "TIME BTS: The K-Pop Band that Conquered the World" issue was created as a special edition bookazine in partnership with the publisher Meredith. It is an authentic special edition publication and will be released on July 31.

— TIME (@TIME) July 22, 2020

In addition to the cover, fans took issue with factual errors, such Jimin being called by Suga‘s name…

…a section on Jin‘s upcoming military enlistment, and TIME’s claim that Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC “paved the way for BTS”.

backstreet boys and nsync…. get the fuck out of my face man… I can write a thesis on how they didn't do shit for bts except start and perpetuate all the boyband stereotypes bts gotta bear their whole career in the west… just fuck off man oh my God

— aida⁷ bro (@jindelune) July 22, 2020

btw time magazine didn’t only write about white boy bands supposedly paving the way for bts, they also wrote an entire page on j1n’s 3nlistment and have several pages of misinformation (called jimin -> suga, said they did the Winter Olympics). plus the cover is disgusting.

— nikki⁷ BTS PAVED THE WAY (@goldenyoonjin) July 22, 2020

BTS being Language Artist achieved Global fame inside xen0phobc industry but BH's audacity to approve an article discrediting BTS's hardwork saying Backstreet Boys & NSYNC paved way for BTS? On what basis? Which of those 2 are Language Artist? BTS👏 MADE👏 THEIR👏 OWN👏 SUCCESS👏 pic.twitter.com/EHRhcYFPcD

— JIMIN STAN (𝐀𝐥𝐲¹³) 🦢 지민 트윗입니다 (@BUSANBOY___TWT) July 22, 2020

TIME and Meredith have since re-edited the bookazine to correct errors, address fans’ concerns, and they have removed the sentence that mentioned Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC.

NEW: @TIME updated the description for its @BTS_twt special edition bookazine to remove a claim that "The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC . . . paved the way for BTS." pic.twitter.com/P8ZfDdCyqK

— Brian Patrick Byrne⁷ 🇮🇪 (@bybrianbyrne) July 23, 2020

BTS previously appeared on the cover of TIME magazine as “Next Generation Leaders” in 2018. The following year, they were named one of TIME’s 100 most influential people of 2019.