Congo, Palestine, And Korean Workers’ Strike — TXT’s Collaboration With Samsung Leaves Many MOAs Upset Over Moral Implications

Many have called for a boycott of their new single.
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Serah S. Cherrie
Serah S. Cherrie

TXT recently released a new song, “Open Always Wins,” in collaboration with Samsung for the launch of its new mobile phone, Galaxy Z Flip 6. The song is also Samsung’s tagline as a sponsor of the Paris Olympics 2024.

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TXT | @Samsung/YouTube

While big-name brand endorsements and collaborations are usually considered achievements in K-Pop fandom spaces, in recent times, more and more fans have become cautious of what kind of brands their favorite idols are associated with. A brand’s sociopolitical affiliation has rapidly become a point of consideration among K-Pop fans, largely owing to the pro-Palestinian movements within the subculture. As a result, idols’ association with brands like Starbucks, McDonald’s, or even the luxury superbrand LVMH has been criticized and boycotted by many.

TXT’s song for Samsung is also seeing a similar pushback from their fanbase, MOA. But there are a multitude of reasons behind this, the first point of contention being Samsung’s possible contribution to the inhumane labor exploitation in Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo is said to be going through a “silent genocide” as millions of children are forced to work in fatally unsafe conditions in mines to extract cobalt and coltan, two key minerals that all modern technology is reliant on. Major tech companies in the world, including Samsung, have been implicitly linked to the human rights abuses that the people of the DRC have been going through for years.

The IT multinational is dependent upon Congolese cobalt as a key element in lithiumion batteries used to produce their array of electronics. However, irresponsible cobalt sourcing practices undertaken by Tier 1 suppliers, Glencore and Huayou, have resulted in ASM operations being incorporated into Samsung’s global value chain, as Tier 2 suppliers. Analysis of the relationships underpinning Samsung’s cobalt value chain theoretical framework, highlights the presence of a relational governance structure, with captive elements among upstream Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Samsung is thereby reliant upon both Glencore and Huayou to transmit and enforce private codes of conduct down the value chain to expel human rights abuses.

— Daniel Krummel, Patrick Siegfried, BLOOD,SWEAT AND COBALT

With many fans becoming increasingly aware of the DRC’s condition, TXT’s close association with the brand has caused serious discomfort.

Another reason why many MOAs are not happy about this collaboration is the fact that nearly 6,500 Samsung Electronics employees in South Korea have announced an indefinite strike, demanding better pay and benefits. From many global fans’ perspectives, not boycotting Samsung at this point in time would be the same as crossing a real-life picket line.

Samsung’s ongoing trade relations with Israel and its sponsorship of the Olympics, which the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement has named as a boycott target for not holding Israel accountable for its crimes against humanity in Palestine, is also another reason behind MOAs’ discontent with this collaboration.

Many were also displeased with how little Beomgyu was present on the track. That is, however, a minor concern in relation to the rest.

Overall, TXT’s “Open Always Wins” for Samsung seems to have failed to win over all of their fandom, a significant portion of which wants their music to be as distant from social-distress-causing conglomerates as possible.

Source: scrip.org

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