While BTS’s association with McDonald’s isn’t new, in the current global climate, the brand carries bigger implications than just a fast-food chain. It is one of the top brands named as a boycott target by the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement. After Israel launched its deadly attacks on the civilians of the Gaza Strip, which the International Court of Justice recognized as crimes against humanity, McDonald’s started donating free meals to the Israeli army. After the boycott against the brand intensified globally, McDonald’s bought all its Israeli restaurants. That, however, didn’t change BDS’s stance on the boycott since the move only amplified the fast-food chain’s investment in Israel.
We’re not falling for it. By directly acquiring the 200+ Israeli branches, McDonald’s has become more, not less, complicit in Israel’s genocide and underlying system of apartheid. McDonald’s’ move to gain more “control over its brand” won’t cut it.https://t.co/rVKpiK34tC
A significant part of ARMYs, both Palestinians and allies, have been campaigning for months, urging HYBE to cut ties with Zionism. In the more recent months, the group has urged BTS directly to speak up in solidarity with Palestinians. So, amidst this sensitive situation, V’s post featuring the McDonald’s fries has caused deep hurt in their fan community.
Your fans have retrieved your photocards from under the rubble, and you go ahead and post Mcdonald’s, which supports and funds the occupation army that bombs and kills your fans. This is so so wrong and immoral, and it will leave a permanent mark on your humanity. pic.twitter.com/RX2UbTe1A0
so mcdonalds is on the bds list, it is one of the main companies we're boycotting and seeing tae post that pic, while the next post was a beheaded child made me stop in my tracks. im so speechless and dissappointed idk what to do
Being disappointed and then Holding them accountable and calling them out on their ignorance and wanting them to do better, bcoz you KNOW they're better than this, all of that comes from a place of love btw. Hope u know that. I wouldn't gaf if I didn't love them!
— pb⁷ Yoongi misser🍉 (@snoozingyoongi) July 21, 2024
Some felt that it was an unfortunate consequence of pro-Palestinian fans being censored heavily by their co-fans in online spaces, which prevented the BTS members from even knowing what their fans were asking of them.
this whole "they don't know" excuse is ridiculous because whose fault is that??? no one expects them to know everything hence why those of us who have knowledge should share it with them so they can learn. but who keeps reporting ANY form of communicating this to bts?
armys have been getting pulled out from underneath the rubble and yet your only concern is people trying to educate a grown adult about an ethnic cleansing that mcd has shown support for. ok https://t.co/FCWUZIBe4f
Meanwhile, others argued that the members have enough access to the internet to know what the world is witnessing right now. Many even pointed out that V, unlike his other bandmates, is posted in Seoul, and the city has been seeing pro-Palestinian marches every week. So, the chances of him being ignorant about the issue might be even slimmer.
these men are grown ups and there are constantly protests in the middle of seoul. you would think that someone in the special forces, literally stationed in seoul, wouldn’t have heard about these protests? at this point it’s inexcusable.
these men have access to the internet and post on a semi-regular basis. there are protests in seoul all the time. "they just don't know" isn't gonna cut it.
Some fans opined that the photos he posted were all old pictures and didn’t necessarily imply his support for the brand. But others countered, saying that idols are extra careful about displaying brands on their social media, and when they do, it is most definitely an endorsement. V himself has been very particular about not displaying any brand that he isn’t professionally involved with on his Instagram.
I need you to understand that these idols, including BTS, do not do free endorsements. They hide labels whenever possible. They hide what type of phone they use if it isn’t a Samsung. This is product endorsement.
— HYBE Boycott Updates (@hybeboycotts) July 21, 2024
This is the same person btw! It's pure endorsement because if he has to censor the phone he uses, then how come he can upload photos of consuming a product on bds list! that too without censoring while he is still in the military. He is not a baby not leaving in the stone age!! pic.twitter.com/2cEnt0a8sJ
Some fans tried to fight back the criticism, citing that certain local branches of McDonald’s have donated to aid the people of Gaza. But they were quickly corrected by others who pointed out that much like Starbucks, regardless of their ownership, these restaurants have to pay a certain charge to the fast-food chain to use their branding, which inevitably ties them to the parent company.
first of all he’s not eating mcdonalds in malaysia. second of all, malaysians are still boycotting mcdonald even after this announcement was made. https://t.co/QgnkqSvpVg
counterpoint: the bds movement has said that mcdonalds is STILL complicit in genocide
even if the first statement is in reference to mcdonalds malaysia filing lawsuits of defamation against bds malaysia, the mcdonald’s brand ITSELF is a symbol of human rights violations https://t.co/uGezySAsKFpic.twitter.com/FuzBwHmgnS
just bc your local mcdonalds donates to palestine doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be boycotted. they all pay the parent company for the franchise and that money goes towards feeding the idf for free. if it wasn’t profitable for them to open in your country, they wouldn’t have done it
BTS’ Jin Says Jungkook and V Are Perfect for Handsome Guys Show; Here’s Why
BTS V Achieves 4.7 Billion Spotify Streams, Ranks Third Among Korean Soloists; Jimin and Jungkook lead chart
BTS Member V Celebrated as Global Beauty Icon After Topping Latest K-Pop Visual Poll By K-pop Idol Community Choeaedol
BTS’ V Posts Weverse Update Hinting at Missing Late Pet Dog Yeontan, Stirring Emotions Among Fans Ahead of His June 2025 Military Service Return
BTS V Receives Spotify Plaque for 1 Billion Streams on Love Me Again; Fans Celebrate Taehyung’s Milestone
BTS’ V Leads Top 10 Korean Instagram Influencers in Global Music category & Across all Categories in the United States 2025; See Full List
How Ma Sun Ho and BTS’ Taehyung Built a Strong Friendship Through Fitness
BTS’ V Crowned Most-Searched K-pop Star of 2025 While Serving in Military, Plus Full Top 10 List Revealed
BTS Member Kim Taehyung Becomes the Most Mentioned K-pop Artist on Japanese Google Trends, Highlighting His Huge Popularity in Japan
K-Netizens React with Laughter to Claims of YG Entertainment Insider Leaks About Idols’ Personal Lives and Relationships
BTS’ V Snubbed at Seoul Music Awards? Fans Voice Fury Over Nominations
Park Hyung Sik and Park Seo Joon Shower Choi Woo Shik with Funny and Heartfelt Birthday Wishes on March 26, 2025, Proving Wooga Squad’s Unbreakable Bond with Throwback Photos and a Promise to Stay Together Forever
BTS’ V Displays Impressive Toned Muscles After Losing 10 Kilograms During Military Service, Shares His Secret to Fitness Success and Admits Feeling Shy About Showing Off His Six-Pack Abs
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
