Fans have called out the insensitivity.
Koreaboo
The K-Pop behemoth HYBE appears to have landed itself in hot water with fans in India with its latest advertisement campaign.
Recently, HYBE released an advertisement film to promote its upcoming Weverse Festival in India, which is expected to bring multiple K-Pop acts to the country for the very first time. However, in its effort to reflect the excitement of millions of Indian fans for this milestone event, the company seems to have missed the mark by a lot, triggering accusations about cultural insensitivity.
The advertisement portrays the daily life of a young Indian K-Pop fan who would rather enjoy a bowl of ramen than a routine meal of rice and lentils, or would rather tune into new K-Pop releases than watch Indian movies. However, many Indian fans noted that this ad felt like a “slap in the face” and a mockery of Indian cultures, food, and lifestyle, while also misrepresenting Indian K-Pop fans in the light of negative stereotypes.
The new Weverse Con India ad genuinely felt like a slap in the face.
What do you mean dal chawal is boring and ramen is fun? You are planning to hold a massive festival in India, and the very first thing you do is disrespect our comfort food (mera to h) and mock our industry??+++ pic.twitter.com/8S0l0Qvy2Y— Han¹³🌖 (@yk_hhyp_smtm97) October 12, 2026
This ad is so corny and honestly racist.the whole marketing of hybe India so far is just how Korean food and culture is supposedly better than Indian like Im sorry why are we portraying one culture as more “cool” than the other https://t.co/eaVG5OHMzQ
— ☾⋆｡𖦹°‧ 𝓶𝓸𝓸𝓷⁷ ‧°𖦹｡⋆☽ (@moon_2659) October 13, 2026
So weverse, indian food is "boring" while Korean food is "fun"? is this how you advertise?! pic.twitter.com/S2wru5lm3s
— Indian Aesthetics (@IndianAesthetik) October 12, 2026
i spent so much of my teen years begging people to see i am not this person. it disgusts me that they view us like this. https://t.co/8kmWais6qb
— r⁷ 🦈 is seeing sunidhi chauhan ✨✨ (@bluishsmeraldo) October 12, 2026
Some also called out HYBE for not doing their due diligence to understand India’s cultures despite their very clear efforts to expand into the country’s major music market.
If Indians can go out of their ways to understand your culture and language shouldn't you be doing the same for us? This is absolutely pathetic. Imagine trying to host a festival in a country by mocking their food and entertainment. @HYBE_INDIA do better. https://t.co/51ebSwkkpj
— jalebikichashni⁷ 🍀 (@ilivesoilovebts) October 12, 2026
????? Who approved this ad?? Mocking indian food and calling it boring while trying to promote kpop even in INDIA?? Do you realise how ridiculously dumb,unnecessary and offensive that is? https://t.co/mEIgchA4AR
— s o o⁷🌻⋆༄.°⋆ (@Gyuphoriaaaa) October 13, 2026
This bs went through several rounds of people approving and filming btw
Sui bian , you can only dream about reaching Indian cuisine and culture 😌 https://t.co/RPmQf3KhVf
— 𝐷𝑟. 𝐿𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑦⁷ 🪭 is mourning 早春晴朗 (@idgafvmin) October 12, 2026
The Weverse Con Festival in India is scheduled to take place on March 27 and 28, next year. However, many fans have expressed their concern about New Delhi being the location, pointing out safety concerns due to the high rate of crimes against women in the Indian capital. It remains to be seen how HYBE decides to navigate these challenges and whether it intends to heed fan feedback for its next move in India.