Music Critic Exposes Alleged Pro-BTS Bias Of Major Music Publication

He made the claim publicly.

An international music critic has sparked a heated response on social media after implying that Rolling Stone had prevented him from reviewing a BTS album honestly.

BTS

The critic in question is Joshua Minsoo Kim, a senior culture writer with bylines at some of the most prestigious publications, including Pitchfork, The Wire, Rolling Stone, and NPR.

Joshua Minsoo Kim | Spotify

In a now-resurfaced X post from 2025, Kim called out Rolling Stone and criticized them for having “zero integrity” for allegedly pushing him not to write negatively about a BTS member’s album.

One of the editors of this website asked me to write a review for a BTS member’s album and once I told them that it would be negative (after I heard the promo and didn’t like it) he said, “if you don’t love it you can just sort of describe it in a neutral way.” Zero integrity. https://t.co/jKsk8WQJgb

— Joshua Minsoo Kim (@misterminsoo) October 3, 2025

One of the editors of this website asked me to write a review for a BTS member’s album, and once I told them that it would be negative (after I heard the promo and didn’t like it), he said, ‘If you don’t love it, you can just sort of describe it in a neutral way.’ Zero integrity.

— Joshua Minsoo Kim

This X post has gone viral across Korean online communities after the release of ARIRANG, BTS’s much-awaited comeback album, fueling allegations that HYBE is using mediaplay to inflate its artists’ achievements.

| theqoo

• “Liars.”
• “Whoa.”
• “They tried to buy a stake in Coachella and asked for the authority to select K-pop artists, but got turned down. Yet they’re still paying what’s basically a ‘friendship fee.'”
• “Not surprised.”
• “It’s not surprising. I kind of expected that.”

Meanwhile, Dispatch recently reported on BTS’s conflict with HYBE regarding ARIRANG. Read more about it here:

Dispatch Reports BTS Fought HYBE Over Korean Lyrics In “Arirang”

BTS