On June 30, Big Hit Music addressed the growing controversy surrounding CORTIS after numerous posts spread across Korean online communities and social media.
According to the agency, the group’s boarding delay on June 26 was caused by severe traffic congestion resulting from a traffic accident on the way to the airport. “Regarding the Paris-Incheon flight on June 26, members boarded later than expected due to severe traffic congestion caused by a traffic accident. We sincerely apologize to all passengers on the same flight for the inconvenience caused.” The agency acknowledged the inconvenience experienced by other passengers and expressed its regret over the incident.
The controversy began after a passenger claiming to be on the same flight shared a detailed account on an online forum. According to the post, the flight was scheduled to depart at 2.40pm, while airport staff began making repeated last call announcements around 2.15pm-2.16pm, calling out the names of CORTIS members via the public announcement system.
The passenger stated that:
- The group didn’t arrive at the boarding gate until around 2.45pm
- The doors of the plane remained open well after the scheduled departure time.
- The captain personally apologized to Business Class passengers for the delay.
- The flight ultimately departed at 3.18pm, about 40 minutes behind schedule.
The post quickly gained popularity online, drawing widespread criticism from netizens.
As the discussion intensified, Internet users also raised previous accusations that CORTIS had made a habit of arriving at the boarding gates at the last minute. A former fansite operator even resurfaced an old complaint accusing the group of repeatedly causing inconvenience to other passengers and criticizing both the members and their management for poor time management.
However, these past claims remain largely anecdotal and have not been independently verified.
While apologizing for the delay in boarding, Big Hit strongly denied several other allegations that had circulated online. Among the most widely discussed claims was that CORTIS members changed clothes inside the boarding bridge, allegedly preventing other passengers from boarding. The agency said this allegation had nothing to do with the Paris flight.
Big Hit instead explained that the accident actually occurred last October, after the group’s program in Japan. According to the company, the members were simply rearranging their belongings after all other passengers had already left the plane, as they were the last passengers to disembark.
Big Hit also denied another rumor that CORTIS was late boarding a flight to Japan in May, saying the group had completed all boarding procedures well before the gate closed.
Although Big Hit apologized and attributed the delay in boarding to unexpected traffic caused by an accident, public opinion remains divided.
- Not just this group, any celebrity who does this should simply be banned from the airlines. Who do they think they are, making everyone else suffer the consequences? Every time I read about celebrities causing problems at airports, it bothers me. Why don’t airlines take tougher measures?
- I actually had a favorable impression of this group, but causing problems for other people in this way is unacceptable. Their management is doing a terrible job. They are a novice group of a large company, so the agency should train and manage them properly. Are they already involved in controversies like this?
- Why are these beginners so arrogant? Is it because they are from HYBE?
- They’ll probably call it “Youngkeukeu style” or something like that. LOL.
- If this were any other idol group, YouTube Shorts would already be flooded with videos and every account that exposes idols on X (Twitter) would be dragging them by now.
At the moment, no official statement has been released by the airline confirming the precise reason for the delay in the departure of the flight beyond the explanations shared by passengers and Big Hit Music.
Sources: Theqoo
