4th Gen K-Pop Idol’s Latest Post Sparks Criticism Amidst Global Boycott

A K-Pop boy group member’s Instagram post concerned fans amidst a global boycott due to the humanitarian issue in the Gaza Strip.

Recently, former member of 1TEAM and OMEGA X‘s Xen updated Instagram with two photos sans caption. The second photo was a mirror selfie.

While fans would have been happy with the attractive shot of him alone, his first slide disappointed many. It was a ripped paper bag with spilled boxes of fast-food fries.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by XEN (@_xenuis)

While the box’s logo was unseen, its contents were clearly the iconic McDonald’s french fries that made its golden arch famous. The back of one box was visible enough to make out a Ronald McDonald encouraging throwing away one’s trash, as well as the company’s Korean URL.

Xen’s comment section was filled with fans expressing their disappointment regarding the post, informing him of the global boycott of McDonald’s. They advised him to at least take down that one photo.

Since October, the death toll in the Gaza Strip has surpassed 28,000 in the ongoing Israel and Palestine crisis, according to the Ministry of Health in the territory. The surviving Palestinians in Gaza continue to struggle to survive as at least 67,600 are injured, starving, and have lost homes, family, and friends.

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A post shared by Impact (@impact)

Global protests and boycotts are going on worldwide as people hit back at companies that have ties with or have supported Israel. They do so in solidarity with Palestine.

McDonald’s is one of the main restaurants boycotted since October as McDonald’s Israel provided thousands of free meals to the Israel Defense Forces (also known as IDF), and there is evidence. Yet, McDonald’s corporate recently claimed it’s “not funding or supporting any governments involved in this conflict.”

Please see our statement on this: pic.twitter.com/bF04qA67GX

— McDonald's UK (@McDonaldsUK) January 16, 2024

Additionally, McDonald’s changed its chicken sandwich wrapper to what appears to be the Israeli flag colors, blue and white. However, some employees and customers claim that this change occurred before October 2023.

A customer expresses her outrage after McDonalds changed its packaging colors to the colors of the Israeli flag. pic.twitter.com/I0g9jXH5dT

— Kuffiya (@Kuffiyateam) October 22, 2023

Still, McDonald’s has taken a hit worldwide. So, netizens have been on alert as the fast food chain continues to announce collaborations with big names in K-Pop, such as NCT‘s Doyoung and SHINee’s Key.