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On Sunday, December 24, ATEEZ's Hongjoong posted a thread of pictures on Instagram, and while fans excitedly engaged with the post, one of the images caught fans' attention.
The idol was seen carrying a Starbucks cup, which angered several netizens given the ongoing boycott of the beverage brand. Recently, Starbucks was allegedly revealed to have showcased its support for Israel by suing its union for its posts supporting Palestine.
Following the same, several people across the globe have entered a mass boycott of the brand to affect their profits that have been supporting Israel's reported genocide of Palestine.
However, upon viewing Hongjoong's post with a Starbucks cup, fans were not only enraged by his engagement with the brand but were also concerned about its influence, which would motivate other fans and netizens to buy from Starbucks.
Subsequently, fans have been trending "KQ SPEAK UP," demanding that they address the issue while asking the management to remove the particular image from the idol's thread of posts to avoid further influences.
Fans trend 'KQ BOYCOTT GENOCIDE' following ATEEZ Hongjoong's recent Instagram post with a Starbucks cup
On November 16, many former and current Starbucks employees went on a strike against the company for its alleged unfair labor practices and its lawsuit against several workers for their posts showcasing support for Palestine.
This naturally speculated on the company's relationship with Israel, thereby initiating a mass boycott of Starbucks by masses all around the world. Subsequently, the company has been facing a great depletion in terms of profit.
While several people have collectively agreed on the boycott and continued to stray away from Starbucks, K-pop and ATEEZ fans were disappointed to see the group's leader, Hongjoong, upload an Instagram post with him holding a Starbucks cup.
While many people immediately began to criticize the idol for his engagement with the brand, Korean ATINYs came to the defense by stating that Starbucks in Korea isn't associated with Israel or its genocide towards Palestine. They stated that a company called Shinsegae took over Starbucks Korea in 2021, and it hasn't been an affiliate of Starbucks U.S. henceforth.
Though many fans were able to understand that his engagement with the brand didn't contribute to the genocide or go against the boycott, they still believed that the Instagram post was unnecessary and harmful. Given ATEEZ's influential stance in the music industry and its huge fanbase, netizens believe that this post can influence or motivate people to buy from Starbucks.
Since Starbucks outside Korea is allegedly affiliated with Israel, fans expressed that the post could potentially sabotage or affect the ongoing boycott. Additionally, fans also debated Hongjoong and other ATEEZ members' stances on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Many even brought up ATEEZ's musical concept of finding freedom, and fans called them out for being hypocritical of their own concept by allegedly showcasing their support for Israel.
Additionally, many also criticized KQ Entertainment, Hongjoong's agency, and called them for going against their own motto, which revolved around empathy, freedom, dignity, and positive regard.
As fans continue to call out the agency by trending various hashtags such as "KQ SPEAK UP," "KQ BOYCOTT GENOCIDE," etc., they've been demanding to address the issue, apologize for the same, and also delete the Instagram post that showcased the Starbucks cup.
