Jin Appears to Address Fandom Controversy Over His Photo With Messi Being Used as a Meme

On October 27, Jin shared behind-the-scenes and onstage photos from the Argentina stop of the BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' on his personal Instagram account. What caught everyone's attention was the editing style of this latest photo roundup, which was completely different from his usual posts in the past.

In the photos, Jin can be seen making playful expressions and poses, such as flashing a V sign, raising his arms, and spreading his legs. The images were edited against backgrounds featuring blue skies with wнιтe clouds or a galaxy. Jin added a witty caption: “A masterpiece by our new MZ-generation staff member. I absolutely love it,” praising the production team's creativity and attention to detail.

The post quickly received an enthusiastic response from fans and even netizens. Everyone was delighted by this fresh approach, noting that the photos perfectly matched Jin's playful personality and signature sense of humor while standing out from the kinds of posts commonly seen from K-pop idols.

Some fans also suggested that the post might be Jin's subtle way of expressing his stance amid the ongoing controversy surrounding a meme featuring him and Lionel Messi.

A few days earlier, during his ending remarks at the Argentina concert, Jin brought up an AI-generated image that showed Messi kissing him on the head, using a photo of Jin with a shaved head before his military enlistment. The image had gone viral as a meme. At the time, Jin commented, “AI is such a scary thing… I wish the person who made it had used a more handsome photo of me. It's a pity/bummer(or its unfortunate/sad*). Next time, please use a better-looking photo of me~”

His remarks sparked mixed reactions. Some people believed Jin was simply joking and expressing a bit of adorable playful annoyance. Others, however, felt that he was being completely serious about the matter. They also criticized fans who failed to recognize the line between humor and disrespect. Some pointed out that this was not the first time Jin had asked fans to use his images respectfully, yet many continued to ignore his wishes.

Against this backdrop, Jin's latest photo collection was seen by some as another subtle way of reaffirming his stance. At the same time, he appeared to be setting a positive example for fans through his own approach, following his earlier comments and helping ease tensions within the fandom.

One fan commented: “Seokjin always finds a subtle but effective way to get his point across. He's once again reminding us that AI sucks and that you can make funny edits that don't offend anyone. He's so smart. I love him.”

Another fan remarked: “The way Seokjin speaks up for himself with so much grace and poise is a lesson not everyone will be able to learn.” Meanwhile, another fan called it a “clear example of how to make cute and fun collages using beautiful photos of handsome Jin.”

Other fans shared similar sentiments, with some of their comments including:

- Seokjin has never shied away from being funny, creating memes or sharing a good laugh with army. you just need to know how to do it without bordering on being distasteful with your jokes

- He just said u don't need ai to make good edits and posters....if he can do it fans can too!!

- True. No one should edit an artist’s picture in a disrespectful way just for their own amusement. If someone edited their picture to make them look ridiculous, they wouldn’t like it either.

- The most emotionally intelligent , smart and witty man ever. Jin giving an example to those stubburn so call army

- I love Seokjin so much because he creates his own happiness and does things within his own limits to make it happen. and he also called out the employee who made it

- His caption is against AI-edited photos and disrespectful edits. now your edits should be cute, funny but make sure the photos remain respectful.

- Seokjin be lyke : Memes should be fun like this, not feel like вυℓℓуing, like what they did yesterday