The image of BTS carrying the torch was widely shared on social media, the keyword about Jin was on the top trending list on platform X (or Twitter) with nearly 1 million discussions.
However, questions arose on social media about Jin being chosen to carry the torch at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
When Japanese media reported on the event, there were comments questioning the selection process such as: "Why was a BTS member invited to the Paris Olympics?", "Is Korea the biggest sponsor?", "The Korean government must have paid for him to participate"...
These comments caused rumors that the Korean government spent a huge amount of money to "buy" a torch relay spot for BTS' Jin to spread.
To address this question, SBS News looked into the torchbearer selection process. Accordingly, the 11,000 torchbearers for this Olympics were chosen based on recommendations from the Olympic Organizing Committee, official sponsors or local authorities in France.
For example, French football star Thierry Henry was introduced by the organizing committee; Chinese actress Tang Wei was introduced by the Chinese company “Mengniu” - an Olympic partner; American rapper Snoop Dogg - the final torchbearer - was introduced by the city of Saint-Denis in France.
As for Jin, he was introduced by Samsung Electronics, an official Olympic partner. Samsung stated: “We introduced Jin, our brand ambassador, because we believe his activities are in line with the Olympic spirit.”
Yu Seung Min, a member of the IOC Athletes' Commission, commented on the process: "The Paris Organizing Committee has a very strict selection process. The government will not interfere with the torch relay."
Source: https://laodong.vn/giai-tri/vi-sao-jin-bts-duoc-ruoc-duoc-o-olympic-paris-2024-1372131.ldo
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