ARMYs exploded with joy on Jan. 1 when a new photo of BTS’ RM surfaced, kicking off 2025 with his new military look. However, this excitement soured after an X user noticed RM’s military name tag with an additional swastika badge, and immediately accused him of wearing the Nazi symbol.
“BTS’s Namjoon wore the Nazi symbol on his name tag during his military service,” one internet user said in a now-deleted tweet, sparking hateful comments towards the idol.
In Korean, this symbol (卍) has cultural and religious meaning, particularly in Buddhism, where it represents auspiciousness, eternity, and the teachings of the Buddha. It is not associated with the Nazi symbol, which is rotated and has a completely different meaning. pic.twitter.com/JTZ2mpBQ0u
— ciéდ (@Iivserene) January 1, 2025
Quickly, ARMYs came to the BTS leader’s defense and explained his true meaning. They clarified that it is actually a sign used in Buddhism, a religion that RM respects.
In South Korea, military nametags add some symbols (e.g., cross † for Christianity), which reflect the religious duties the officer performed within the camp.
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Haters and losers have nothing to do but be stupid and pathetic. With their new nonsense, they are spreading misinformation about Namjoon and his military badge and trying to start a hate train against him.
The badge Namjoon wears belongs to military officers who are… pic.twitter.com/SWhPu5dZ1u
— 𝚁𝙼 𝙶𝚄𝙸𝙳𝙴⁷ (@kimnamjoonguide) January 1, 2025
Namjoon literally made 108 bows in a temple the day before his enlistment, and we all know he respects Buddhism. Yet some people are out here confusing a Buddhist symbol with a Nazi one, demonstrating their lack of education. Find out before you open your mouth. pic.twitter.com/zs9wbyn39G
— Suchwita (@MyLoving2Seok) January 2, 2025
So now the blinkers are calling Lord Buddha a Nazi, all because you hate Namjoon? You have reached a new low!
This first image is Lord Buddha if you don’t know.
Rm wears that badge because he is the military officer who performs religious duties for Buddhism within his military unit. https://t.co/DHc0Msy65U pic.twitter.com/TH1rPOtVBW
— Anti-Twinks (@fvcktroll) January 1, 2025
🆘️🆘️🆘️🆘️
This loser went private. Continue reporting in all categories and try to delete their account.
The level of their obsession with Namjoon is dangerous. They are trying to start another big hate train, but talking about Nazis is no joke. It’s a serious matter. pic.twitter.com/YVCvE7vOlw— 𝚁𝙼 𝙶𝚄𝙸𝙳𝙴⁷ (@kimnamjoonguide) January 1, 2025
Looking back at history, Buddhism originally used the left-facing yellow swastika as a reminder of its cultural and religious significance, until the Nazis appropriated it. They used the one facing right, tilting it upwards and changing its color to black, as with the 108 Yoga Retreats.
In response, ARMYs counterattacked the account that made the accusation and stopped the misinformation by spreading the true meaning of the RM tag.
“Educate yourself before you speak,” wrote an ARMY in another post.
“They are trying to start another big hate train, but talking about Nazis is not a joke. It’s serious,” another fan wrote.
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