By BTS member Jimin accidentally became the talk of Brazilian politics this week — all because of a birthday tattoo. During a Weverse livestream on October 13 celebrating his birthday, Jimin showed off the “13” tattoo on his arm, calling 13 a really good number. What happened next, nobody could have predicted.
BTS’s Jimin (Credits: Koreaboo)
A Birthday Number Becomes a Political Moment
The trouble started when a Brazilian fanpage reposted the clip on X and jokingly called Jimin “comrade” — because 13 is the official ballot number of Brazil’s ruling Workers’ Party. The joke spiraled fast. The official X account of Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, responded to the post, thanking Jimin and writing that their mission is to win the election to defend Brazil. Just like that, a birthday livestream moment had been swept into the middle of Brazil’s ongoing general election.
The crossover divided fans sharply. Some were frustrated that an idol who never comments on politics was being pulled into political discourse at all, with one viral post arguing K-pop idols don’t speak on their own politics and shouldn’t be used to promote someone else’s agenda. Others, especially Brazilian fans, found the whole thing hilarious — one poster laughed that people were being “miserable” over what was clearly just a joke from their president.
Fans Split on the Surprise Crossover
Reactions on X ran the full spectrum. While some fans fumed about Jimin’s “special number” being turned into a political talking point, others were simply delighted to see the sitting Brazilian president engage with K-pop at all. “Lula for the win,” one viral post cheered. The whole episode is a reminder of just how far a single offhand moment from a BTS member can travel — from a birthday livestream to the campaign trail of the world’s fifth-largest country in a matter of days.
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Source: Koreaboo — read the full story there.
