On August 25, several accounts on X (formerly Twitter) shared photos allegedly showing some TXT fans (MOA) defaced emotional messages left by ARMYs years ago on the wall of Big Hit Music’s old headquarters in Seoul. The TXT logo was also painted over BTS‘s logo, sparking heated reactions on social media.
The photos and videos documenting some TXT fans vandalizing the BTS mural on the agency’s former headquarters sparked outrage among ARMYs, who considered these actions an insult to the memory of the band, which established HYBE’s success and provided better conditions for the groups under its management.
Well, one fan expressed their frustration, saying: “TXT didn’t debut in that building. Big Hit Entertainment moved from Nonhyun-ro 145 to Doosandae-ro 16 in 2017, where TXT became a member and debuted two years later. Even if they did debut there, there’s no justification for ruining the messages of hundreds of other fans like this.”
This comment sparked a heated debate on X, with some believing it was simply an attempt to spark a fan war between ARMY (BTS fans) and MOA (TXT fans). Read the comments:
- “TXT was training in that building. Yeonjun has been a trainee since 2015 and the other members joined in 2016/early 2017. This isn’t an excuse for what these girls did, but denying their story won’t fix anything.”
- “TXT’s hard work under such difficult circumstances shouldn’t be underestimated. They trained in that building, and if you want to criticize the fans’ behavior, you have every right to do so. Your approach to going after them sounds like you’re trying to start a fan war instead of criticizing them.”
- “I think there’s something wrong here. The MOAs have never offended ARMYs. It seems like some MOAs or malicious people pretending to be MOAs are trying to create conflict between the fans. This needs to be clarified.”
- “There may be other fans trying to do this by pretending to be TXT fans. I’m not defending them, but in the past few days, I’ve seen some people pretending to be ARMYs and doing suspicious things. There’s a weirdo on Facebook pretending to be in the military and posting extremely disturbing things on his profile.”
Why is the Big Hit Music building mural important to ARMYs?
Actually, this was the Big Hit Music’s old headquarters, used by Big Hit Music during BTS’s early training years and even years after their debut. Later, as the group’s popularity grew, they moved to another building in 2017.
However, In the years since, the former headquarters, located in Nonhyeon-dong, Seoul, has become a popular tourist spot associated with ARMYs. Its walls were filled with messages and memories from visitors from all over the world, and it quickly became an annual destination for ARMYs, coinciding with the group’s debut anniversary in June.
In June 2024, reports emerged that actor Kim Woo Bin had purchased the building, rekindling the debate over building’s ownership and the future of the commemorative murals. Some fans suggested stopping any graffiti or writing messages on the building’s walls, considering it private property. While others suggested that the neighborhood municipality intervene to allocate a licensed space or a legal memorial plaque for ARMYs to commemorate BTS’s cultural legacy.
