Every year, we see countless companies, brands, and celebrities wishing everyone celebrating certain holidays and festivities. Now that the holy month of Ramadan has arrived, numerous global and local stars have wished their fans a ‘Ramadan Mubarak’ (blessed Ramadan).
However, it’s not every day you see Korean celebrities extend these greetings to their Muslim fans. It certainly came as a surprise to many when pre-debut K-pop boyband 1VERSE (유니버스) and actor Ji Changwook (지창욱) wished their fans and friends who are observing the holy month.
1VERSE, formerly known as SB BOYZ, is an upcoming K-pop boy band that will soon make their debut. On Sunday (2nd March), the members, consisting of Kenny, Hyuk, Nathan, Seok, and Aito, posted a group photo on their official Twitter account with a caption that read: “RAMADAN MUBARAK! ☪️ Wishing our friends who are celebrating, a peaceful and blessed Ramadan!”.
The post instantly went viral among K-pop fans, especially Muslims, who expressed their appreciation for the surprise greeting. Many pointed out that this was the first time they had seen a K-pop group acknowledge Islam and one of its practices. Others thanked 1VERSE for their thoughtful gesture on social media and hoped that other idol groups would follow suit in the future, given how overwhelmingly positive the response has been.
1VERSE may be the first K-pop idol group to publicly wish fans a Happy Ramadan on social media, but BTS was possibly the first group to extend their Ramadan wishes to Muslim fans on TV, seven years ago. Meanwhile, actor-singer Ji Changwook also recently extended his greetings, mainly to his Malaysian fans, on KimchiDaily’s TikTok channel, saying, “Selamat Berpuasa.” Fans thanked the “Revolver” star, saying that they now felt even more energised while fasting.
Which Korean celeb would you like to see wishing their fans a Ramadan Mubarak or Eid Mubarak next month?
Watch Ji Changwook’s greeting below:
@kimchidaily_ Ni haa Ji Changwook pun ada ucapan Selamat Berpuasa untuk korang! 😉 #jichangwook #ramadhan #ramadan #puasa #fyp
BTS’ Ramadan greeting seven years ago:
@jim_x_sha7 #RAMAZAN MUBARAK ARMY…💜🕋😘🩷 .. .. .. .. May this Ramadan bring you closer to Allah’s divine mercy and grace. May your fasting and prayers be rewarded with Allah’s blessings and forgiveness. May Allah’s guidance and protection be with you throughout this Ramadan and beyond. Wishing you and your family a Ramadan filled with happiness, health, and prosperity… .. .. .. .. .. #RAMAZAN#BTS#FYP#VIRAL#BTS#VIRAL #FYP
