In April this year, BTS teamed up with Paldo and HY to launch a new global food line called Arih. BTS was involved with the brand from the planning stage, contributing their opinions on the name, flavors, packaging, and overall design. Arih offers three product lines under the concept of “modern balanced food”: noodles and a postbiotic energy drink from Paldo, along with a dual-biotic soda from HY.
Considered a pαѕѕion project of BTS, and with the members actively promoting the brand, it received strong support from fans worldwide. Just three days after its launch at Walmart in the U.S., ARIH received a “Best Seller” badge on Walmart’s online store. This badge is given to products that rank among the top-selling items in their category. Some areas even temporarily ran out of stock due to high demand.
However, a recent move by ARIH נαραи (@jp_taste_arih) has sparked major backlash within the fan community, damaging the brand’s image among fans!
Specifically, ARIH נαραи was seen inviting an individual known on social media as Pachi Jimin — Pachi.chim/Konkonhead — to an official brand event. Not only did the person attend the event, but their content was also reposted and tagged by ARIH נαραи’s official account, prompting many ARMYs to question the brand’s guest selection and screening process.
Pachi.chim has been a controversial figure within the fandom for years despite publicly identifying as a BTS and Jimin fan. The individual mainly creates content on Instagram, Reels, and TikTok by imitating Jimin’s appearance, fashion style, hairstyles, and signature dances in a humorous way. In the account’s bio, they also use the кσяєαn term “짭지민” (Jap-Jimin), meaning “fake Jimin” or “Jimin knockoff.”
ARMYs have repeatedly felt that this person’s content goes beyond simple parody, turning into mockery that makes Jimin the butt of the joke and potentially harms his reputation. At the same time, the continued use of Jimin’s image and name to attract attention has led to accusations that Pachi.chim is seeking fame and financial gain by capitalizing on the idol’s reputation.
Because ARIH has a partnership with HYBE and has been directly promoted by BTS, fans found it unacceptable for the נαραиese brand to invite someone they consider harmful to Jimin. ARMYs responded strongly with messages expressing their anger and criticism, even tagging the brand’s official account. They also directly contacted ARIH נαραи through Instagram and X, demanding an explanation for why this individual was selected, as well as details about the guest screening and approval process.
Amid the backlash, ARIH נαραи officially issued an apology on August 26. The brand acknowledged that it had failed to adequately verify information about the invitee ahead of the event and said this had caused many people concern and disappointment. ARIH wrote: “We sincerely apologize for causing worry and disappointment to many of you due to insufficient advance verification of the invitee regarding the posts for the recent ARIH event.”
The brand also acknowledged that all activities related to official events should have been handled with greater caution and responsibility. ARIH said it would thoroughly review its invitee verification procedures and internal review processes, while strictly implementing measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
At the end of its apology, ARIH once again expressed its deepest apologies for the concern and disappointment caused by the incident. Although it did not specifically address all of the questions raised by ARMYs, particularly those regarding the promotional relationship and any benefits Pachi.chim may have received, the move at least showed that the brand had taken the fan community’s strong reaction seriously.
The ARIH case serves as a cautionary lesson for brands working with BTS. Fans hope other brands will learn from this incident and take greater responsibility when collaborating with the group, so as to avoid hurting both the artists and their fans, as well as damaging the relationship between the two sides.
