K-pop group NCT loses millions of followers over Starbucks collab

Starbucks is facing a lot of heat in South Korea, to the extent that locals cannot stand their idols being associated with or even holding the coffee flask in their hands. 

 NCT's collaboration with Starbucks for an exclusive merchandise line has hit a snag. While Starbucks is a global coffee giant, it's currently facing a boycott call from Koreans in support of Palestine. This has unfortunately spilt over and impacted NCT, with some fans choosing to unfollow the group.

NCT's recent collaboration with Starbucks has sparked controversy, leading to a massive drop in followers. While member Taeyong briefly voiced his disapproval online (through a since-deleted Instagram story supporting the boycott), fans have been expressing their dissatisfaction since the announcement. The reason for the boycott appears to be rooted in Starbucks' past actions regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Several K-pop stars, such as Le Sserafim's Huh Yun Jin and BLACKPINK's Jisoo, have faced backlash for consistently preferring the coffee giant earlier. Yet, with NCT, the partnership appears to have resulted in a complete boycott. This involves not just avoiding their products but also their music, online connections, and severing relationships with the artists.

Every NCT group, including those led by Taeyong who seemingly showed solidarity with Palestine, has experienced a notable decrease in their number of followers.

The official NCT Instagram page has been the most affected, losing 674,370 followers in the last 30 days. This trend is also observed in other NCT groups such as NCT 127 (-629,760), NCT DREAM (-633,210), and WayV (-455,340) accounts during the same timeframe.

The effect is not limited to official pages, as Koreaboo has noted a total loss of more than 8 million followers from individual members' accounts as well.