Recently, an individual alleged to be an employee at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tried to sell a hat worn by BTS's Jungkook.

On October 17, an item was listed on a selling/buying/trading website. The item in question was a Kangol hat alleged to be worn by BTS's Jungkook and listed it for sale at 10 million KRW (~6,968 USD). The seller identified themself as a government official working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and even posted their work ID as proof.

However, in the photo showing the ID, the individual's ID is marked as 'public employee ID,' which is given to civilian workers who engage in the work of assisting public officials. Unlike official government officials to which the Civil Service Act is applied, the Labor Standards Act is applied to this individual.

The individual explained how they got this hat and shared that Jungkook had left it at the passport department at the foreign affairs ministry. The post explained, "Jungkook left the hat in the waiting area last year when BTS visited the passport department in secret to make diplomatic passports." The individual also explained why they were able to take ownership of the item and said, "There was no phone call or visitation for six months looking for the item even after the item was reported. So the person who found it is able to take ownership."

In the description, the individual explained, "This is a Kangol bucket hat that Jungkook wore. It is in a very usable state. This is something priceless that you can't get with money. He is a globally famous singer, so I am predicting that the value will go up."

In Korea, a person who has found a lost item must report it to a police station within 7 days and submit the found item. The person who found the item cannot claim ownership of the item if the acquirer continues to possess the found item without reporting it or even if the owner does not show up after the item has been submitted to the police. It is currently unknown whether the individual who acquired Jungkook's hat reported it to the police.

Seung Jae Hyeon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Criminal Justice Policy, said, "Even if the employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Jungkook and received permission to keep it, it is morally inappropriate to sell it. Moreso if the individual is trying to make an unfair profit by listing it for 10 million KRW."

Netizens also criticized that this individual's actions are morally inappropriate and commented, "This might not be illegal, but it is definitely morally wrong," "Isn't it more correct for him to call HYBE to send him the hat back through the mail if he knows who it belongs to?" "Wow, this person is ridiculous," "They know it's BTS Jungkook's hat, he can look up the HYBE company address too if he searches online. He should have just sent it through the mail or gone to the company and tell them to return it to Jungkook" "I have the same hat, maybe I can say Jungkook wore it too," and "Is this person for real?"