BTS is currently facing heat over RM‘s smoking controversy and questionable ticket sales ahead of their upcoming U.S. tour.
RM has come under fire for reportedly smoking in a non-smoking area and littering a cigarette butt in a public area of Tokyo. He allegedly ignored warnings from security personnel and continued to smoke, which eventually forced a female staff member to “kneel” and clean up the area after him. This behavior has deeply disappointed fans who previously viewed him as a virtuous role model, especially since smoking in public spaces is strictly prohibited under Japanese law.
BIGHIT MUSIC has further frustrated the public with its vague response to the incident. A representative told iMBC Entertainment that the company is aware of the situation. “The photos were taken by a paparazzi media outlet,” a HYBE rep told iMBC, according to their report. “We have requested that it not be reported in Korea. We are responding with the same stance to all media outlets that have inquired. There are no plans to release any further official statements at this time.” iMBC expressed disappointment with BIGHIT MUSIC’s stance, suggesting that if the company found it difficult to verify the facts, a more neutral response like “I will check with the person involved” would have been better.
BIGHIT MUSIC has sparked further public frustration with its vague response to the incident. A company representative confirmed to iMBC Entertainment that the agency is fully aware of the situation. “But the photos were taken by a paparazzi media outlet,” a HYBE representative said, according to iMBC. “We have requested that it not be reported in Korea. We’re maintaining the same response to all media outlets that have reached out. At this time, we have no plans to issue any further official statements.” iMBC commented on BIGHIT MUSIC’s dismissive response, noting that a more neutral approach such as “I will check with the person involved” would have been far more appropriate than attempting to suppress the story if the agency was unable to verify the facts immediately.
On April 23rd, RM was spotted at Incheon Airport, reportedly leaving for Atlanta to begin BTS’s U.S. tour.
>> Police Request Arrest Warrant for HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk
At the same time, the group’s “ARIRANG” world tour is facing backlash from the American fanbase over Ticketmaster’s handling of seat assignments.
BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’
CAPACITY WILL CHANGE
NEW AVAILABILITY
TAMPA 4/25: 1,994
TAMPA 4/26: 2,925
TAMPA 4/28: 4,306
EL PASO 5/2: 1,275
EL PASO 5/3: 1,674
LAS VEGAS 5/27: 77#BTS#BTS_WORLDTOUR#BTS_WORLDTOUR_NA#BTS_WORLDTOUR_ARIRANG pic.twitter.com/8opgeILWoi— TouringAsiaPop (@TouringAsiaPop) April 22, 2026
New tickets were released for several U.S. performances just days before the shows were scheduled to begin, and many of these seats were sold at lower prices than the original tickets. This has sparked significant anger among fans who paid premium prices and membership fees during the initial sale. Many ARMYs have pointed out that the addition of these new seats has pushed original ticket holders further back than they expected, leaving those who supported the group early feeling penalized for their loyalty.
Below are some fan reactions:
literally insane ticketmaster was holding all these tampa tickets that could’ve went into the initial sale…. bc these aren’t production seats…. it’s just a bummer for people who would have bought these but can’t because there’s almost no hotels available or they’re $1000+ pic.twitter.com/0UeaQOrxYA
— emily⁷ IS SEEING BTS BARRICADE (@speakyourself) April 22, 2026
This is so fucked up. We completely sold out an 80k venue and all of a sudden, 8,000 seats are magically open, as well as cutting the price in half??? AND you added ROWS of VIP IN FRONT of Army that had barricade from Army presale?? @Ticketmaster you are so incredibly vile. https://t.co/eXZK0r6ekf
— whitney♡⁷🪭 (@always7_whit) April 22, 2026
So it turns out BTS did use dynamic pricing during tour ticket sales and then released a bunch of “production” tickets the week of for WAY cheaper. Screwing over loyal fans isn’t the best move. AND people are struggling to sell tickets they aren’t going to use. https://t.co/PBRZjOkYBl
— emilykmm (@emilykmm) April 22, 2026
did we all pay that $20 army membership fee for no reason🧍🏽♀️
— nogs⁷ IS SEEING BTS (@flwlsspjm) April 22, 2026
this whole ticketing experience is a disaster. wdym the tickets being released now are cheaper than presale. and they had soundcheck available too? what’s the point of having membership?
— dessy⁷ ✨ (@Dessytothemax) April 22, 2026
In the meantime, watch trending K-dramas for free on Amasian TV.
Source (1)
