tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/bts-54619/articlesBTS – The Conversation2023-08-11T14:14:49Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2111472023-08-11T14:14:49Z2023-08-11T14:14:49ZBeyond The Story: BTS biography is a humanising, literary portrayal of K-pop’s world-leading stars<p>In a climate of ever-increasing competition, it’s a real feat when any band makes it to their tenth anniversary bigger than ever. Such is the case with K-pop group BTS (short for <em>bangtan sonyeondan</em>, “bulletproof boy scouts” in Korean). The band have released their first official biography – <a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/beyondthestory">Beyond The Story</a> – to look back on their decade-long path to <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-bts-breaking-billboard-100-means-for-pop-as-the-industry-knows-it-145798">international, record-breaking success</a>.</p>
<p>Initially rumoured to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/may/12/sorry-swifties-bts-revealed-as-authors-of-mystery-book-that-intrigued-the-internet">be a Taylor Swift autobiography</a>, pre-orders had made the book a bestseller before its subject was announced. It was released to tie in with both BTS’s anniversary and their hiatus, undertaken so that the members could enrol in <a href="https://theconversation.com/bts-take-a-break-worlds-biggest-k-pop-group-is-caught-between-koreas-soft-power-ambitions-and-national-security-185433">mandatory Korean military service</a>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for Beyond the Story.</span></figcaption>
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<p>For fans who have been there from the beginning, the book is a souvenir to covet. For western audiences who have discovered K-pop more recently, it’s a pleasant reintroduction to the group’s early incubation years. Having sold well over 40 million albums worldwide – and become the youngest ever recipients of the <a href="https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bts-awarded-order-of-cultural-merit-by-south-korean-government-8481640/">South Korean Order of Cultural Merit</a> – BTS are among Korea’s most influential ambassadors.</p>
<p>Behind The Story was co-written by South Korean journalist Kang Myeong-seok and the band’s seven members. Following the oral history format that has benefited popular music journalism books such as Lizzy Goodman’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/meet-me-in-the-bathroom-documentary-shows-how-9-11-shaped-new-yorks-indie-music-scene-201600">Meet Me In The Bathroom</a> (2011), it tracks the band’s history across 544 pages, culminating in the release of their most recent anthology album, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/bts-proof-review-1364561/">Proof</a> (2022).</p>
<p>One by one, and in their own words, we meet <a href="https://www.instagram.com/uarmyhope/">J-Hope</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/rkive/">RM</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/agustd/">Suga</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jungkook_bighitentertainment/?hl=en">Jungkook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jin/?hl=en">Jin</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/j.m/">Jimin</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thv/">V</a>. They recall their nervousness at becoming K-pop trainees, their different motivations and the parts of performance they felt most vulnerable about. Each knew that they would have to work impossibly hard if they were to compete at the level K-pop culture demands.</p>
<p>Through anecdotes both humorous and moving, we learn how they bonded as a group. The seven teenagers, who were from completely different walks of life, were set up in a bunkhouse to learn how to sing and dance as a slick professional outfit.</p>
<p>In telling the story of BTS, Beyond The Story also tells the story of K-pop and how its dynamics have changed over the years. Fans who cottoned onto BTS in their international breakthrough era of songs such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsX3ATc3FbA">Boy With Luv</a> (2019) or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdZLi9oWNZg">Dynamite</a> (2020) may assume that they always traded in upbeat pop. But their early years were actually <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBG5L7UsUxA">deeply rooted in American Hip-hop</a>, a genre K-pop has borrowed from since the early 1990s.</p>
<p>While K-pop groups often pride themselves on a style of perfectly-synchronous choreography known as <a href="https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/rastmd/issue/64820/1035002"><em>kalgunmu</em> (razor-sharp dancing),</a> BTS’s hip-hop influence allowed them a certain looseness. Their musical <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03007766.2017.1292819?journalCode=rpms20">hybridity</a> helped to bring their individual personalities to life.</p>
<p>While it is true that Korean management companies closely guide their stars’ public image, and work them hard from a <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315773568-4/political-economy-idols-inkyu-kang">very young age</a>, Beyond The Story challenges the stereotype of K-pop artists as mere performance puppets. There are several moments where members recall direct involvement in styling, choreography or songwriting. They also discuss using their platform to speak up on <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-south-korean-boy-band-bts-became-a-k-pop-hit-by-fighting-for-social-rights-97562">a range of social and political issues</a>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The music video for Dynamite by BTS (2020).</span></figcaption>
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<p>The group’s founding label Big Hit was considered small when they launched. This meant the group were frequently underestimated – even mocked – by their peers. But this underdog status encouraged them to experiment with DIY forms of self-promotion. The members blogged directly to a <a href="https://theconversation.com/k-pop-fans-are-creative-dedicated-and-social-we-should-take-them-seriously-119300">growing fanbase</a>, for example, instead of relying on management-led channels.</p>
<p>It’s a model that has paid off. Though K-pop still evokes images of impressive polish and unison performance, newer groups such as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kpuOoIh3wU">Seventeen</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBURTj20HXI">Le Serrafim</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzODRUBBXpc">Tomorrow X Together</a> have been able to develop a model which matches feats of dance athleticism with more vulnerable, personal lyricism. This allows them to be both relatable and aspirational for worldwide audiences.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hallyu-the-korean-wave-at-the-vanda-is-an-unflinching-look-at-the-countrys-creative-rise-191133">Hallyu! The Korean Wave at the V&A is an unflinching look at the country's creative rise</a>
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<h2>A new wave of music biography</h2>
<p>Some prior understanding of the K-pop industry may be required to get the most out of the book (knowing how groups are typically assembled, for example, or how competitive Korean TV shows work). But as a contribution to modern music journalism, Beyond The Story is valuable. As they learn of the band’s insatiable work ethic, discipline and brotherly commitment, readers will feel as if they know each of the seven members much better, with a deeper understanding of how their music has developed since their debut.</p>
<p>It’s also highly visual. Lush photography neatly punctuates the chapters, guiding the reader smoothly through each BTS era. With pages that mark the track listings and specific details of each release, it’s easy to turn to your favourite album or treat the book as a reference text – a thoughtful, encyclopaedic blueprint for future artist biographies to come.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">BTS member Jimin recently became the first Korean soloist to top the US Billboard charts.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The use of QR codes throughout (330, to be exact) is also a smart innovation, recognising that fans might want to reminisce about (or discover) the group’s music videos, dance practices and video logs for themselves as they read. In this way, the book becomes a living museum, truly immersive and interactive.</p>
<p>Of course, the BTS story is far from over. Amid their hiatus, the members are experiencing international success with solo singles. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOI67IDlNMQ">Jimin</a> recently became the first Korean soloist to top the US Billboard charts. At a time when K-pop feels bigger than ever, their success story can only inspire others who are ready to ride the unstoppable Korean wave to reach for their dreams, or indeed, for their local bookstore.</p>
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<p><em>Looking for something good? Cut through the noise with a carefully curated selection of the latest releases, live events and exhibitions, straight to your inbox every fortnight, on Fridays. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/newsletters/something-good-156">Sign up here</a>.</em></p>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jenessa Williams does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In telling the story of BTS, Beyond The Story also tells the story of K-pop and how its dynamics have changed over the years.Jenessa Williams, PhD candidate, Media and Communication, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2002592023-03-07T01:23:48Z2023-03-07T01:23:48ZFrom Squid Game and Physical: 100 to K-pop and BTS, translation is central to tectonic shifts in global cultural consumption<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/513838/original/file-20230306-3109-pelyme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C4%2C1500%2C992&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Korean reality survival show Physical: 100 has become a global hit, topping Netflix’s non-English lineup in just a week following its premier on January 24 2023. </p>
<p>The name of the show says it all: 100 contestants with superb physiques participate in a variety of challenges to win 300 million Korean won, equivalent to A$335,000. </p>
<p>There are several reasons behind the success of the show. First, the idea of finding the fittest body through a series of gruelling real-life challenges is unprecedented. </p>
<p>Second, the show is reminiscent of another Korean entertainment success, Squid Game. From the studio settings to the ways the challenges operate, Physical: 100 has obviously been inspired by its fictional blockbuster predecessor. Third, the sheer scale of the challenges – such as moving a 1.5-tonne ship – is just mindboggling. </p>
<p>There is one element that is rarely talked about, despite its pivotal contribution to the success of the show: translation. </p>
<p>Without translation, the show would never have been able to reach a global audience. The same goes for all the Korean dramas, movies and shows that have gained huge popularity around the world. Translation is central to tectonic shifts in global cultural consumption, which has been traditionally led by the West.</p>
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<span class="caption">In Physical: 100, a group of Korea’s strongest people compete in a series of elaborate and gruelling challenges, to see who has the ‘ideal’ body type.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span>
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<h2>The rise of Korean culture as a gamechanger</h2>
<p>For decades, people in the East have looked to the West (mostly the United States and Europe) as a source of cultural consumption. Korea was no exception. </p>
<p>Local movies were once looked down upon by Korean people, who considered Western counterparts more advanced. It was not until the late 1990s that the Korean movie industry began to thrive, thanks largely to systematic government support. </p>
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<span class="caption">Netflix’s Squid Game was an unprecedented success around the world.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Netflix</span></span>
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<p>Another contributor to the global popularity of Korean culture is the ascendance of Korean pop culture, better known as K-pop. This new genre of visually packed musical performance has benefited enormously from YouTube and has produced global household names such as BTS and Black Pink. As of 2021, the number of K-culture fans was <a href="https://www.thehealthyjournal.com/faq/how-many-kpop-fans-in-the-world#:%7E:text=How%20many%20K%2Dpop%20fans,campaigns%20and%20network%20for%20support.">estimated at more than 150 million</a>. </p>
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<h2>Who translates Korean cultural products?</h2>
<p>The rise of Korean culture has witnessed a rapid growth of a dedicated global fandom and, interestingly, <a href="https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0106_202101232240539699">fan-led translation</a>. Initiated by BTS fans, an enormous community also known as “Army”, fandom translation basically covers everything relating to their favourite artists. From YouTube videos and lyrics to news articles, fans from around the world who are proficient in the Korean language voluntarily translate it all into other languages and share them through social media. </p>
<p>Paid translation work is in demand too. Iyuno SDI, for example, provides translation services in <a href="https://www.chosun.com/economy/tech_it/2022/10/14/QIXYG6BQFNAIRJCXECN5UY2TIU/">more than 100 languages</a> to global media companies such as Netflix, Disney and Amazon. It is, however, not always humans who translate: AI-enabled machine translation (XL8) does much of the work. Draft translation done by machines is then reviewed and edited by <a href="https://www.chosun.com/economy/tech_it/2022/10/14/QIXYG6BQFNAIRJCXECN5UY2TIU/">more than 30,000 freelance translators across the world</a>. </p>
<p>Despite the growth of the translation industry, working conditions for translators are <a href="https://www.donga.com/news/Culture/article/all/20190707/96360188/1">often problematic</a>, as many translators are short of time to complete work and underpaid. Through this mass production process, cultural consideration may sometimes get lost, as happened in Physical: 100.</p>
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<h2>Translation challenges in Physical: 100</h2>
<p>If you’ve watched the show, you will remember Choo Sung-Hoon, a celebrity mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. After Choo won his first one-on-one match against another MMA fighter, Shin Dong-Kook, Shin bowed deeply before Choo, with his head touching the ground. Is this standard practice among MMA fighters? No, the answer lies in the Korean term, <em>sunbae-nim</em>, which Shin used consistently to refer to Choo, but was not translated in the show. </p>
<p><em>Sunbae-nim</em> refers to a person who is older or more experienced in a workplace, school, military unit or social context. Virtually all Koreans would know several people whom they consider as <em>sunbae-nim</em>.</p>
<p>Shin clearly idolises Choo, who is older and has been a big gun in the MMA field for almost two decades. It is therefore only natural for Shin to call Choo <em>sunbae-nim</em>, a term intended to deliver the amount of respect that Shin held for Choo. As there is no exact English equivalent, however, the term was often replaced in the subtitles by Choo’s given name, “Sung-Hoon”. </p>
<p>This might have given the wrong impression when Shin suggested to Choo that they have an MMA match, rather than playing the ball game prescribed in the show. Here is what Shin said (in the English subtitles) when he made the suggestion: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It would be rude of me to challenge a respected senior just to play with a ball. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>“Respected senior” here refers to <em>dae-sunbaenim</em> (literally “great sunbaenim”) yet it sounds odd and unnatural. My suggestion? “It wouldn’t do justice to your distinguished MMA career if we just played with a ball.” </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/squid-game-and-the-untranslatable-the-debate-around-subtitles-explained-169931">Squid Game and the 'untranslatable': the debate around subtitles explained</a>
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<h2>Translation as a mutual process</h2>
<p>Titles and forms of address in Korean are always <a href="https://theconversation.com/squid-game-and-the-untranslatable-the-debate-around-subtitles-explained-169931">challenging to translate</a>. </p>
<p>As someone who specialises in English-Korean translation, I believe it would be best to retain these original expressions. In this digital era, information is at one’s fingertips and is easy to look up. Just as “señor” or “monsieur” need no translation, Korean titles should be respected on their own terms. </p>
<p>When we recognise translation as a mutual process of engaging with an audience, a cultural shift from the West to the East may be achieved in a genuine sense.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/200259/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jinhyun Cho does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There is one element that is rarely talked about, despite its pivotal contribution to the success of shows like Squid Game: translation.Jinhyun Cho, Senior Lecturer in Translation and Interpreting at Macquarie University, Macquarie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1973662023-01-13T16:20:49Z2023-01-13T16:20:49ZBTS singer set for military training – but South Korea is far from alone in retaining national service<p>Late last year, the first member of the most <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2022/06/23/what-is-the-legacy-of-bts-the-worlds-biggest-boyband">successful and famous</a> boy band on the planet – BTS – began military service. Singer and songwriter, Kim Seok-jin (popularly known as Jin), 30, began five weeks of compulsory military training in South Korea by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/12/k-pop-star-jin-of-bts-starts-his-military-service-in-south-korea">posting a selfie</a> of his new “buzz cut” hairstyle.</p>
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<img alt="A young Korean man with a new army buzzcut." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=436&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/503439/original/file-20230106-6712-dl05sk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=548&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">You’re in the army now: Jin’s new haircut.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Twitter</span></span>
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<p>There had been speculation this call-up was on the horizon and that upcoming military service for several members of BTS was the real reason for the band’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/bts-take-a-break-worlds-biggest-k-pop-group-is-caught-between-koreas-soft-power-ambitions-and-national-security-185433">break-up</a> which had been announced during the summer. </p>
<p>Jin’s service has sparked a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/15/bts-members-hiatus-kpop-army/">debate</a> in South Korea about exemptions for its stars, echoing similar discussions when Tottenham Hotspur footballer and national captain <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jun/03/tottenham-son-heung-min-south-korea-tough-military-service">Son Heung-min</a> was called up in 2020. Son was excused the full 21 months of service and only served three weeks thanks to having led his team to victory in the 2018 Asian games. Jin, by contrast, is still required to complete an 18-month posting.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">BBC News: BTS members to join South Korean military for national service.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Military service – sometimes called national service or conscription – is compulsory for all able-bodied men in South Korea and young <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/glob.12056">Korean migrants</a> living and working in other countries – such as Son, for example. </p>
<h2>‘Moral fibre’</h2>
<p>More than 70 countries worldwide have military training of some sort for their young adult citizens. These include other countries in Asia such as China and Singapore, but also European countries, including Austria, Finland, Norway and Greece. </p>
<p>Geographical <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Mapping-the-Moral-Geographies-of-Education-Character-Citizenship-and-Values/Mills/p/book/9781138300828#:%7E:text=Resources%20Support%20Material-,Book%20Description,debates%20through%20a%20geopolitic">research</a> shows that mapping national service matters. It can reveal a lot about an individual nation’s hopes and fears. For example, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/27/taiwan-extends-compulsory-military-service-amid-mounting-tensions-with-china">Taiwan very recently extended its compulsory military service</a> from four months to one year, likely due to growing geopolitical tensions with China.</p>
<p>In the UK, national service ran from the second world war until the early 1960s. Since then, there have been regular calls from famous figures, commentators and politicians to “bring it back”, including from <a href="https://www.theweek.co.uk/94653/should-the-uk-bring-back-national-service">Prince Harry</a>. These nostalgic requests often happen during times of national crisis or in response to a youth crime event or perceived youth apathy. These calls therefore reveal wider anxieties about young people’s character, duty, discipline and “moral fibre”.</p>
<p>Public opinion on national service in the UK, and elsewhere, is often split. The idea of compulsory military service and everyday militarism in the lives of children and young people is <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-the-classroom-to-the-frontline-schools-must-be-careful-what-they-teach-kids-about-the-army-84085">controversial for many</a> – especially where national service recruits are destined to be involved in military operations. </p>
<p>Academic <a href="https://theconversation.com/national-service-in-britain-why-men-who-served-dont-think-we-should-bring-it-back-179229">research</a> reveals that most British men who served in this way do not think it should be brought back. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/national-service-in-britain-why-men-who-served-dont-think-we-should-bring-it-back-179229">study</a> from the University of Essex interviewed more than 100 ex-national servicemen who recalled some positive memories during those years, but only a minority supported a return to compulsory service.</p>
<p>Although the reintroduction of conscription in the UK would be unlikely, a modern non-military youth volunteering programme for older teenagers launched by David Cameron in 2010 still chose to echo these connections via its name – “<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-national-citizen-service-59648">National Citizen Service</a>”.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">‘National Citizen Service’ - a voluntary scheme in England and Northern Ireland.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>National Citizen Service (NCS) remains a short-term optional experience, but its “<a href="https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/Brands_of_youth_citizenship_and_the_politics_of_scale_National_Citizen_Service_in_the_United_Kingdom/9482555">brand</a>” of youth citizenship with military echoes has attracted over half a million young people in England and Northern Ireland to join up. </p>
<h2>Instilling ‘character’ through service</h2>
<p>The past decade has also seen a growing number of <a href="https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/92496/">military ethos providers</a> and schemes within UK schools that promote versions of <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Mapping-the-Moral-Geographies-of-Education-Character-Citizenship-and-Values/Mills/p/book/9781138300828#:%7E:text=Resources%20Support%20Material-,Book%20Description,debates%20through%20a%20geopolitic">character education</a> connected to wider ideas of values, virtues and moral fortitude. This relationship can also be found in the Department for Education’s support of <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/thousands-more-pupils-to-benefit-from-cadet-programme">cadet units in schools</a> and its recent patriotic promotion of “<a href="https://theconversation.com/one-britain-one-nation-day-is-the-perfect-vehicle-for-the-governments-values-campaign-163300">One Britain One Nation</a>” Day.</p>
<p>These “softer” forms of military ethos in the UK are noteworthy but have not been as controversial as others, including Emmanuel Macron’s <a href="https://www.snu.gouv.fr/"><em>Service National Universel</em> (SNU) in France</a>, launched in 2019. This effort to recapture “French spirit” is currently voluntary, but the eventual plan is a <a href="https://www.rfi.fr/en/france/20220714-france-s-macron-urges-armed-forces-to-get-behind-national-service">mandatory</a> uniformed four-week programme for those aged 16-25. </p>
<p>Macron’s new scheme has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jun/19/rollout-of-compulsory-civic-service-for-young-people-in-france-sparks-criticisms">divided citizens</a>. Supporters claim it is a useful skills-based experience to mend social divisions, but its critics oppose the promotion of forced nationalism and argue that compulsion denies free will. The voluntary version has <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/macron-france-national-military-service-mandatory-compulsory-teenagers-2np2n8zgf">not proved popular with teenagers</a>.</p>
<p>It is crucial to recognise the spectrum of contemporary approaches to “national service” by different nations. These range from formal military conscription to boost reserves (as in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/dec/27/taiwan-extends-compulsory-military-service-amid-mounting-tensions-with-china">Taiwan</a>), uniformed civic schemes with military pathways and a compulsory vision (as in France), through to optional youth volunteering programmes with military echoes (as in the UK).</p>
<p>These shifting geographies and geopolitics are vital to map, but all are united in their focus on training young people and young adults as future citizens of the nation.</p>
<p>Back in South Korea, Jin’s military service is being closely followed by news outlets and BTS’ own international army of fans are sharing news about Jin’s progress as well as discussing future call-ups on social media.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1613790523072065538"}"></div></p>
<p>There is no doubt more young people across the globe are now aware of national service and their own potential future experiences. This celebrity spotlight has brought the topic of military service to a massive global audience and fuelled a debate that will no doubt continue long beyond the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/oct/17/bts-k-pop-members-military-service-south-korea">band’s announced return in 2025</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article previously asserted that only Israel and North Korea currently have compulsory military service for women as well as men. Other countries have also had mandatory conscription for women, including Eritrea, Mali, Morocco and Tunisia, and some other countries have elective service systems that encompass men and women. We apologise for the error.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197366/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah Mills has received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council, Arts and Humanities Research Council, and Royal Geographical Society.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sophie Milnes does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>More countries are using ‘national service’, whether they are military or civic programmes.Sarah Mills, Reader in Human Geography, Loughborough UniversitySophie Milnes, PhD Researcher in Human Geography, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1854332022-06-20T14:14:07Z2022-06-20T14:14:07ZBTS take a break: world’s biggest K-pop group is caught between Korea’s soft power ambitions and national security<p>The decision by K-pop sensations, BTS, to take a hiatus is breaking hearts globally. But, unlike <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/why-the-beatles-broke-up-113403/">the Beatles</a> or <a href="https://www.capitalfm.com/news/why-did-direction-end-break-up-hiatus/">One Direction</a>, their decision is tied to Korean peninsula politics and the challenge of balancing national security and Korea’s soft power ambitions.</p>
<p>The seven members of BTS broke the news during their annual dinner, which was <a href="https://youtu.be/1t0iJ7F_k9Q">streamed live to fans worldwide</a> on June 15, citing exhaustion and a desire to pursue solo projects. Some confusion arose afterwards when, in a bid to slow their tumbling stock price, the band’s entertainment company, Hybe, said BTS would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/jun/15/k-pop-band-bts-to-take-a-break-as-members-pursue-solo-work">continue to work both together and individually</a>.</p>
<p>However, discerning fans suspect the decision is more calculated than suggested, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/15/bts-members-hiatus-kpop-army/">speculating that some BTS members</a> will soon be fulfilling their military service duties. The split comes just weeks after an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/06/15/bts-members-hiatus-kpop-army/">intense political debate in South Korea</a> over whether the group’s members should be exempt from South Korea’s compulsory military service requirement.</p>
<h2>No exemptions</h2>
<p>Typically, exemptions are only allowed for medical reasons, although the exemption system has been <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713767489?casa_token=vupFkgIU5tgAAAAA:3LXv9Pr8mGCulJsF3kB3wQCSuG0bNxTcLEwS-18QyHS0IxGE7jgBp2gUSu4WD15zVoWl0LbYBeI">subject to abuse over the years</a>. Major international competition winners may do forms of community service instead, such as that completed by <a href="https://www.spurs-web.com/spurs-news/report-heung-min-son-completes-544-hours-of-special-military-service/">Tottenham Hotspur’s Son Heung-min</a> in 2022. This involved a few weeks of basic military training and volunteer football coaching for school children in London.</p>
<p>There had been <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20220410000117">some speculation that winning a Grammy</a> in 2022 might secure BTS an exemption, but they left empty-handed – despite being one of the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-60505910">world’s top-selling acts</a>.</p>
<p>The debate around military service has not been limited to K-pop stars. It has also been the subject of <a href="https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/debating-south-korea-s-mandatory-military-service">wider public discussion in recent years</a>. These debates have mostly be driven by disaffected young men who feel increasingly frustrated at having to pause study and work to bolster South Korea’s defences, primarily against <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/16/infographic-missile-programmes-north-korea-v-south-korea-interactive">North Korea</a>.</p>
<h2>Military culture</h2>
<p>Military service was introduced at the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1750635217694122?casa_token=sgK1WqTaFsgAAAAA:V3vVZu-W5MMKVLlBubgN9XcPRINHcIxIQ2_dFi-cOPK9_-aVyZP96H55_TddU1yZTajjQTJaOiA">founding of the South Korean state in 1948</a>. It proved necessary after the Korean War (1950-53) to ensure South Korea could defend itself against another attack from North Korea. </p>
<p>The military then remained <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1750635217694122?casa_token=sgK1WqTaFsgAAAAA:V3vVZu-W5MMKVLlBubgN9XcPRINHcIxIQ2_dFi-cOPK9_-aVyZP96H55_TddU1yZTajjQTJaOiA">front and centre of Korean nation-building</a> throughout the country’s rapid industrialisation under a succession of military dictatorships, from the 1960s until democratisation in the late 1980s. </p>
<p>Even though Korea has had a series of non-military, civilian presidents since 1993, serving in the military continues to be a central part of men’s qualifications for work and life, <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713767489?casa_token=GFyC0eTq7MgAAAAA:lvjxHiwh6R41E1HQBD9OrDvHhBY7PnEgbENOPpbfMkp324sYsQY_pXWtV-1FTiBXk1Kw7WG7xFc">binding them to the nation-state’s persisting culture of militarism</a>. For example, completing national service is still considered proof a man is a committed <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/713767489?casa_token=GFyC0eTq7MgAAAAA:lvjxHiwh6R41E1HQBD9OrDvHhBY7PnEgbENOPpbfMkp324sYsQY_pXWtV-1FTiBXk1Kw7WG7xFc">South Korean citizen</a>. It is a prerequisite for many civil service and corporate jobs, and military alumni networks <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00472336.2016.1269264?casa_token=985C6_Ud3zYAAAAA:WcBzzChlrbgAVctLihq6cAji9i1etC9AC1UA63xiF694uugnJcfM5NkYbbWfilr9B0WerONUGEQ">continue to influence a man’s opportunities</a> throughout his life.</p>
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<p>While young men no longer need to serve the three years’ conscription demanded of their fathers and grandfathers, the current <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20180503000809">18 months</a> required before they turn 28 is regularly cited as a top complaint among South Korea’s youth in recent years.</p>
<p>In 2015, young people began describing life in South Korea’s hyper-competitive society as <a href="https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/191332210/KimY2020EJKSMirroringMisogynyInHell.pdf">“<em>Hell Joseon</em>”</a>. This is, they argue, a reincarnation of the feudal and hierarchical Joseon Dynasty society (1392-1897), which was marred by extreme social and economic inequality. Military service is seen as one of a long list of demands on an already <a href="https://www.pure.ed.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/191332210/KimY2020EJKSMirroringMisogynyInHell.pdf">overburdened male demographic</a> fighting for access to a <a href="https://asiafoundation.org/2017/05/31/koreas-n-po-generation-looks-new-administration-jobs/">reputable education, a secure job and a good marriage</a> in system that is stacked against them.</p>
<h2>Competing national interests</h2>
<p>In this contentious environment, allowing seven seemingly healthy, young, male citizens to skip military service might not be a good decision for South Korea’s newly elected president, Yoon Suk-Yeol. Yoon has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/11/south-korea-gender-equality-anti-feminist-president-yoon-suk-yeol">keen to win over young male voters</a>, the leading voices of discontent in the “<em>Hell Joseon</em>” debate. But Yoon also knows the need to maintain a credible defence capacity against the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/intercontinental-ballistic-missile-test-by-north-korea-g7-foreign-ministers-statement-30-may-2022">threat posed by North Korea</a>.</p>
<p>The South Korean government faces another pressure though: the need to continue promoting and exploiting the success of its popular culture industries. </p>
<p>The “Korean Wave”, which refers to the global popularity of Korean music, film, television and other aspects of popular culture, is a major source of <a href="https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200414009800315#:%7E:text=According%20to%20the%20report%20on,up%2022.4%20percent%20from%202018.">export income</a> that also generates considerable <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003102489-10/bts-highest-stage-pop-john-lie?context=ubx&refId=25e7e2e2-bd9b-4937-875f-c6f47f5f7af0">soft power gains</a> for Korea. <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003102489-10/bts-highest-stage-pop-john-lie?context=ubx&refId=25e7e2e2-bd9b-4937-875f-c6f47f5f7af0">BTS has been at the top of the wave</a> for years, alongside Korea’s global success in film (<a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003102489-1/introduction-youna-kim?context=ubx&refId=80f47673-8094-4651-b207-4609487e3b73">Parasite, 2020</a>) and <a href="https://preprint.press.jhu.edu/anp/content/k-drama-narrates-national-korean-identities-crash-landing-you">television dramas</a> (<a href="https://theconversation.com/squid-game-the-real-debt-crisis-shaking-south-korea-that-inspired-the-hit-tv-show-169401">Squid Game, 2021</a>). BTS was the first Korean pop group to <a href="https://kj.accesson.kr/v.60/1/100/8511">“break America” and the world</a>, thanks to English lyrics, catchy tunes, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0163443720986029">digital fan networking</a> and <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/bts-coldplay-my-universe-video-b1926119.html">high-profile international collaborations</a>.</p>
<p>Beyond the music, BTS’s influence over legions of Korean and international fans won them a place on the podium at the opening of the 76th session of the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2021/09/21/1035280006/bts-spoke-at-the-unga-and-thats-not-the-only-surprise-at-the-u-n-event">UN General Assembly</a> alongside then president Moon Jae-In in 2021. More recently, they appeared at a White House summit on anti-Asian hate. They are <a href="https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/BTS-LoveMyself">Unicef Ambassadors</a> and have travelled the world spreading their message of love. With their success has come considerable gains for <a href="https://preprint.press.jhu.edu/anp/content/k-drama-narrates-national-korean-identities-crash-landing-you">South Korea’s international standing</a>.</p>
<p>So there is a tension between South Korea’s soft power imperatives and its need to maintain conscription. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1750635217694122?casa_token=sgK1WqTaFsgAAAAA:V3vVZu-W5MMKVLlBubgN9XcPRINHcIxIQ2_dFi-cOPK9_-aVyZP96H55_TddU1yZTajjQTJaOiA">K-pop groups since the 1990s</a> have given up lucrative success to serve their country’s national security needs. Members of the K-pop groups <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/life/entertainment/shinees-taemin-changes-military-service-role-due-to-worsening-mental-health#:%7E:text=SEOUL%20%2D%20South%20Korean%20boy%20band,his%20worsening%20depression%20and%20anxiety.">SHINee</a>, <a href="https://www.soompi.com/article/1507117wpp/vixxs-ken-officially-discharged-from-the-military-today#:%7E:text=VIXX's%20Ken%20is%20officially,Yeon%20(N)%20and%20Leo.">VIXX</a> and <a href="https://www.soompi.com/article/1300081wpp/2ams-jeong-jinwoon-confirms-military-enlistment-date-shares-plans-for-concert">2AM</a> have all announced a hiatus to complete their military service. </p>
<p>BTS’s global fame, however, may make them an exception. It might be possible that the members fulfil their national service duty and return to the K-Wave fold, either individually, in twos or threes, or all together. <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-61812575">Judging by the outpouring of love</a> for them online at present, they would be welcome on any stage, anywhere, if the opportunity to reunite emerges.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185433/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sarah A. Son does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Military service is compulsory in South Korea and many deem it unfair that the band’s members have been allowed to put it off.Sarah A. Son, Lecturer in Korean Studies, University of SheffieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1619732021-06-29T12:05:01Z2021-06-29T12:05:01ZThe #BTSSyllabus is a global resource fueled by an ARMY of experts<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/407999/original/file-20210623-21-1m9la93.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C151%2C1623%2C1511&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">BTS performs at the 2021 Billboard Music Awards in Los Angeles.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-image-released-on-may-23-jimin-j-hope-jin-jungkook-news-photo/1319706527">Billboard Music Awards 2021 via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>My journey began with a question from my then 13-year-old daughter in November of 2018: “Do you know <a href="https://ibighit.com/bts/eng/profile/">BTS</a>?” </p>
<p>I didn’t. </p>
<p>But in the months that followed, she guided me through the maze of music, history and fan content surrounding this seven-member supergroup from South Korea who are also known as the Bangtan Boys. I fell down the “Bangtan rabbit hole” – a term for deeply exploring BTS content that often starts from simple curiosity.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://englishcomplit.unc.edu/faculty-directory/candace-epps-robertson/">scholar of rhetoric and literacy</a>, I was in awe of how BTS’s music <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/14/business/bts-ipo.html">brought people together</a> from <a href="https://www.dbpia.co.kr/Journal/articleDetail?nodeId=NODE09378574">across the globe</a>. Their fandom, known as ARMY – an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth – is widely known for its enthusiasm. I was inspired to <a href="https://youtu.be/BWgmGnzgLPg">research BTS</a> and use BTS <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x1ye9oOKIy3q6jgYgU2hgTPpE568qC1_UZ-NaYgPbgU/edit?usp=sharing">in my courses</a> on global citizenship and identity.</p>
<p>I felt that a shared archive of BTS resources might be helpful to students, researchers and anyone interested in learning more about BTS. From this, the <a href="https://bit.ly/BTSSyllabusProject">#BTSSyllabus</a> was formed. </p>
<h2>Global pop</h2>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="seven members of BTS pose for a photo" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=893&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=893&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=893&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1122&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1122&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408655/original/file-20210628-27-oxd34r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1122&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">BTS released its new album ‘Butter’ in June 2021.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://ibighit.com/bts/eng/discography/detail/butter.php">Courtesy of BTS</a></span>
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<p>BTS has blazed a trail with its <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/09/bts-dynamite-international-pop-k-sensation-sunshine-rainbow/615928/">chart-topping</a> and <a href="https://splice.com/blog/bts-production-evolution/">genre-blending</a> music combined with <a href="https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bts-black-lives-matter-donation-1234789434/">philanthropy</a>, <a href="https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/bts-and-big-hit-renew-commitment-love-myself-campaign-support-unicef-ending-violence">humanitarian campaigns</a> and consistent global messages of <a href="https://youtu.be/AU6uF5sFtwA">care</a>, <a href="https://youtu.be/5aPe9Uy10n4">hope</a> and <a href="https://youtu.be/w426mm7gMKk">inspiration</a>. </p>
<p>The band <a href="https://youtu.be/Uaj1X76h2mQ">debuted in June 2013</a> after the members were brought together through a combination of talent scouting and auditions. They honed their talents as singers, rappers, writers, producers and dancers. Originally conceived of as a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BTS-Review-Comprehensive-Look-Music-ebook/dp/B07QJZ1WFZ">hip-hop idol group</a>, their focus has grown to cross and blend genres like pop, R&B, hip-hop and more. There’s debate whether BTS is <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/bts-podcast-youngdae-kim-butter-rolling-stone-music-now-cover-story-1182106/">K-pop</a>, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/new-bts-song-2021-worlds-biggest-band-1166441/">pop</a> or <a href="https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/bts-talk-new-album-map-soul-7-genre-bts">something else altogether</a>.</p>
<h2>Making a syllabus</h2>
<p>A <a href="https://undergrad.stanford.edu/academic-planning/cardinal-compass/advising-student-handbook/what-syllabus">course syllabus</a> can be many things. At its most basic, it documents the contents of a class and maps out learning over the academic term. </p>
<p>But a syllabus is also a statement about how knowledge will be constructed and shared. For example, an instructor’s reading list might suggest which histories or perspectives will be most prominent. The tone of the syllabus – formal or casual – can also demonstrate the relationship an instructor seeks to have with students. </p>
<p>I introduced the <a href="https://bit.ly/BTSSyllabusProject">#BTSSyllabus</a> at the first <a href="https://www.kingston.ac.uk/events/item/3428/04-jan-2020-bts-a-global-interdisciplinary-conference-project/">BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference</a> at Kingston University London in January 2020. I collaborated with <a href="https://ischool.uw.edu/people/faculty/profile/jinhalee">Jin Ha Lee</a>, associate professor at University of Washington and fellow BTS fan and researcher, and tweeted <a href="https://twitter.com/DrEppsrobertson/status/1300579010481655808">a poster</a> that described our vision and process. </p>
<p>Traditionally, a syllabus is authored by a teacher who curates the direction of the course. We knew that ARMY’s knowledge of and experience with BTS was central to the project, and a crowd-sourced syllabus was the best path. So one of our first decisions was to <a href="https://twitter.com/bts_syllabus/status/1349528501347627012">invite the fandom</a> to create the syllabus with us. </p>
<h2>ARMY of experts</h2>
<p>In 2020, Time magazine called the <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/bts-and-the-army.html">BTS ARMY</a> “<a href="https://time.com/5912998/bts-army/">one of the most active online communities</a> in existence.” The BTS <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3IZKseVpdzPSBaWxBxundA">YouTube channel</a> has 57 million subscribers, and the group’s official Twitter account has nearly 31 million followers.</p>
<p>This is a fandom that has created a global network of <a href="https://army-academy.wixsite.com/armyacademics">free tutoring services</a>, composed a <a href="https://whitepaperproject.com/en.html">white paper</a> on issues related to Korean and Japanese history and raised over <a href="https://ccrma.stanford.edu/groups/meri/assets/pdf/park2021CHIBTS_preprint.pdf">US$1 million</a> for the Black Lives Matter movement. </p>
<p>We believed that ARMY has critical expertise and experience that those outside the community lack. Therefore, we wanted their input to drive the project. </p>
<p>Our process began by circulating calls through Twitter, directed to ARMY, inviting recommendations for any sources they felt would be useful for those writing about, teaching about or researching BTS. This could be content produced by <a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2021/06/732_310879.html">journalists</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720986029">academic researchers</a>, <a href="https://armybtsguide.carrd.co/">fans</a> and artists – really anyone, and in any language. </p>
<h2>Democratizing knowledge</h2>
<p>The crowd-sourced or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504219883847">hashtag syllabus</a> – which is often circulated through hashtags on social media – has gained popularity over the past seven years. Notable ones include the <a href="https://sociologistsforjustice.org/ferguson-syllabus/">Ferguson Syllabus</a>, with resources on race and racism, and the <a href="https://diversity.tamu.edu/Diversity/media/diversity/PDF/lemonade-syllabus.pdf">Lemonade Syllabus</a>, which offers a list of readings as a guide to Beyonce’s 2016 “Lemonade” album and Black womanhood more broadly. </p>
<p>These projects invite public input and participation. Anyone can access them. As sources come from various perspectives beyond academia, these projects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504219883847">democratize the knowledge-making process</a> and disrupt conventional – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1536504219883847">often white elitist</a> – interpretations of events.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that BTS has been subject to <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/racism-bts-continues-to-face-is-part-of-larger-anti-asian-xenophobia-op-ed">racist and xenophobic remarks</a> that perpetuate anti-Asian stereotypes and attempt to trivialize the band’s impact. Their fandom, largely female, has also been the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/docproject/love-in-the-time-of-covid-1.5906892/in-defense-of-fangirls-why-being-part-of-the-bts-fandom-is-helping-me-through-the-pandemic-1.5906894">target of stereotypes</a> about teenage “<a href="https://www.helloasia.com.au/news/why-are-bts-fans-always-dismissed-as-hysterical-teenage-girls/">girls’ hysteria</a>.”</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>As a team, Dr. Lee, one of her students and I review the recommendations and categorize the sources into official content, academic research, webinars and classes, and user-generated or fan content. To date, we’ve collected <a href="https://bit.ly/BTSSyllabusProject">over 200 sources</a> representing a wide range of perspectives, from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/BTS-Art-Revoluton-Jiyoung-Lee/dp/B07T14VJR5">a book</a> that uses French philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s <a href="https://lucian.uchicago.edu/blogs/mediatheory/keywords/rhizome/">rhizomatic theory</a> of nonhierarchal systems to explain the BTS phenomenon to an <a href="https://bangtanfor.life/tagged/reverse/chrono">interactive timeline</a> of the group’s achievements. We meet monthly to update the syllabus and announce those updates on our <a href="https://twitter.com/bts_syllabus?lang=en">Twitter account</a>. </p>
<h2>Complex connections</h2>
<p>While my journey with BTS began with my daughter, at some point, I recognized that I was having my own experience with the music. I found artists who weren’t afraid to share the messy work of growth and reflection in their music. I experienced it quite personally in BTS’s 2020 single “<a href="https://youtu.be/0lapF4DQPKQ">Black Swan</a>,” <a href="https://doolsetbangtan.wordpress.com/?s=black+swan">which describes</a> the fear of losing one’s greatest passion. As a writer, I’ve known that fear my entire career. </p>
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<p>But discovering BTS also helped me rethink questions I’ve been asking for close to a decade: What does it mean to be a citizen in this world? How do people learn citizenship practices outside of traditional institutions? How do we use language to build community, resist oppression and seek joy? BTS encouraged me to consider new possibilities for what a cultural movement can be and inspire.</p>
<p>Just as <a href="https://youtu.be/WMweEpGlu_U">BTS’s music</a> builds a rich archive of complex experiences and connections for its fans, my hope is that our syllabus will reflect the same.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161973/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Candace Epps-Robertson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A professor who researches BTS is building a diverse archive of media and analysis about the pop icons.Candace Epps-Robertson, Assistant Professor of English, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1587572021-05-30T11:17:50Z2021-05-30T11:17:50ZIn music and film, a new Korean wave is challenging Asian stereotypes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398781/original/file-20210505-21-1hqb16v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=21%2C32%2C3573%2C1622&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Members of BTS at the 61st Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>At this year’s Oscars, Chloé Zhao became the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/apr/26/chloe-zhao-wins-best-director-oscar-nomadland">first woman of colour to win the award for best director</a> for <em>Nomadland</em>. Youn Yuh-jung also became the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/live-updates-oscars-2021/2021/04/25/989638064/youn-yuh-jung-is-first-korean-to-win-oscar-for-best-supporting-actress">first Korean actress to win an Oscar</a> for her role in <em>Minari</em>.</p>
<p>After decades of being excluded from, and stereotyped by Hollywood, East Asians are finally being recognized in the film industry. This degree of recognition is a cause for celebration, but there is still a long way to go.</p>
<p>For decades, the predominantly white western film industry has <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2018/10/steven-yeun-walking-dead-glenn-asian-stereotype-short-round-1202015250/">confined Asian actors to stereotypical</a> roles and even <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/yellowface-whitewashing-history">cast white actors to play Asian characters</a>. But the recent success of Asians in the film industry begins to open the door to more prominent Asian roles in this field. </p>
<p>A new Korean wave is helping to significantly break down barriers and deconstruct the representation of Asians in western media. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/chinese-american-actresses-soo-yong-and-anna-may-wong-contrasting-struggles-for-recognition-in-hollywood-159174">Chinese American actresses Soo Yong and Anna May Wong: Contrasting struggles for recognition in Hollywood</a>
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<h2>The power of representation</h2>
<p>I grew up watching Hollywood cinema in South Korea and was especially fond of Katharine Hepburn. Her role in <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036777/">the 1944 film <em>Dragon Seed</em></a> left a lasting impression.</p>
<p>In the movie, Hepburn plays a Chinese woman with awkward makeup. When I first saw the film I was only eight years old and had never been to China, but I knew what a Chinese person looked like and it was not that. I wondered whether this casting choice was because there were no Asians in America, or because Asian women weren’t as pretty as Hepburn. I was gaslighted into believing Asian women couldn’t be the central character because we aren’t attractive.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Youn Yuh-jung poses in the press room at the Oscars." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=860&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1081&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1081&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/398041/original/file-20210430-19-tt4s22.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1081&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Youn Yuh-jung won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in <em>Minari</em>.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, Pool)</span></span>
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<p>Despite <a href="https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/multiculturalism">almost 50 years of Canadian multiculturalism</a>, Asian people are still facing discrimination and stereotyping around <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-model-minority-myth-hides-the-racist-and-sexist-violence-experienced-by-asian-women-157667">being a model minority</a>.</p>
<p>With the <a href="https://theconversation.com/anti-asian-racism-during-coronavirus-how-the-language-of-disease-produces-hate-and-violence-134496">rise in anti-Asian racism during the pandemic</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56218684">recent violent attacks in the United States and Canada</a>, Asian people are increasingly becoming fearful about their place in North American society.</p>
<p>As a Korean language instructor at Carleton University, my classes are made up of students from multiple cultural and ethnic backgrounds. During one of my classes, I decided to show a <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/12/entertainment/bts-kpop-album-persona-soul-who-is-trnd/index.html">music video by the K-pop band BTS</a> to engage students in contemporary Korean culture. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-model-minority-myth-hides-the-racist-and-sexist-violence-experienced-by-asian-women-157667">The model minority myth hides the racist and sexist violence experienced by Asian women</a>
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<p>After playing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBdVXkSdhwU"><em>DNA</em> by BTS</a>, I was surprised to see how it was able to break down cultural and language barriers. Students who had not yet spoken began chatting like they had known each other for a long time. <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/four_ways_music_strengthens_social_bonds">Research shows that music brings people together</a>.</p>
<p>East Asian students continue to see <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/healing-power-of-k-pop-pandemic-playtime-music-for-the-soul-1.5600104/how-k-pop-band-bts-is-helping-fans-a-world-away-navigate-identity-and-hardship-1.5600109">the accomplishments of K-pop artists as their own</a>. One of my students, a second-generation immigrant from Vietnam said: “I feel indebted to BTS. I am wounded because I am underrepresented in a society where I should belong, but I feel healed by them.” </p>
<p>In the long history of Western pop-culture, non-western cultures have too often been portrayed as <a href="https://thirdcoastreview.com/2019/06/20/the-unbearable-whiteness-of-hollywood-thoughts-on-asian-american-representation-in-pop-culture/">tacky subcultures or disparaged racial minorities</a>. The rise of K-pop is helping reset these stereotypes and, within Asian communities in North America, has become a remedy for those who are perpetually made to feel like foreigners in their own country.</p>
<h2>The Korean wave</h2>
<p>From BTS to <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/korean-esports-gaming-class-culture/">video game competitions</a> and the noteworthy 2016 K-drama, <a href="https://otakukart.com/403428/guardian-the-lonely-and-great-god/"><em>Goblin</em></a>, the Korean wave is taking western audiences by storm.</p>
<p>Netflix is planning to invest <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/02/25/netflix-nflx-to-spend-500-million-in-south-korea-in-2021.html">$500 million this year</a> in South Korean films and TV series. Korean movies and dramas like <em>Parasite</em>, <em>Train to Busan</em> and the <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/bong-joon-ho-the-host-best-monster-movie-21st-century-korea-song-kang-ho-bae-doona-trump-1201813051/">2006 cult classic <em>The Host</em></a> have received critical acclaim globally and in North America. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man in a tuxedo waves and carries an award." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=901&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403180/original/file-20210527-13-k8ehaj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1133&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Bong Joon-ho, director of <em>Parasite</em> and <em>The Host</em>, at the 2019 Palme d'Or Awards in Cannes, France.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Korean dramas consistently provide solid performances through impeccable storytelling. One example is the Korean drama <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6611916/"><em>Kingdom</em>, Netflix’s first original Korean series</a>.</p>
<p>Kingdom is more than just a cliché zombie show. With its spectacular landscapes and complex characters, <em>Kingdom</em> holds its own in the competitive streaming space. This challenges the sentiment that <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/03/minari-and-the-invisible-stars-of-asian-led-movies/618169/">mainstream content with Asian actors as leads is inferior</a>.</p>
<p>The influx of Korean content can do a great deal to reduce racist attitudes and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0899-5">alter perceptions of East Asians by normalizing the presence of Asian people</a> on screen, in magazines, on the radio and in broader society.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/an-oscar-for-parasite-the-global-rise-of-south-korean-film-128595">An Oscar for Parasite? The global rise of South Korean film</a>
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<p>As a Korean, I feel fulfilled when I watch series and films filled with faces like mine, portraying complex characters and telling stories not restricted by Western stereotypes.</p>
<p>There are still major hurdles to overcome that prevent Asians from getting into the mainstream. However, Korean content is a powerful way of providing healthy Asian representation and transcending racist stereotypes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158757/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hyounjeong Yoo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new wave of Korean music and cinema can play a powerful role in changing perceptions and stereotypes of Asian people.Hyounjeong Yoo, Instructor, School of Linguistics and Language Studies, Carleton UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1410252020-06-26T12:34:54Z2020-06-26T12:34:54ZRethinking the K-pop industry’s silence during the Black Lives Matter movement<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343001/original/file-20200619-43235-1rfytvr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">K-pop band BTS and their company, Big Hit, have donated money to Black Lives Matter. Most bands and companies in the industry have not made any sort of statements.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/jimin-jungkook-rm-j-hope-v-jin-and-suga-of-the-k-pop-boy-news-photo/1207750198?adppopup=true">Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As nationwide protests against police violence and racial inequality continue in the U.S., K-pop fans, famous for their <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-06-03/k-pop-fans-black-lives-matter">social media savvy</a>, are using their <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/06/twitter-k-pop-protest-black-lives-matter/612742/">collective power to rally around the Black Lives Matter movement</a>.</p>
<p>K-pop stands for Korean popular music. So far, fans have <a href="https://mashable.com/article/dallas-police-app-iwatch-spam-kpop-fancams-protests-black-lives-matter/">crashed police department apps</a> and <a href="https://www.vulture.com/2020/06/kpop-stans-fancams-racist-hashtags-twitter.html">co-opted hashtags</a>. This highlights the subversive tools that have become part of the K-pop standom – which refers to the obsessive, dedicated, diehard fandom – resistance.</p>
<p>When K-pop stars BTS and their company, Big Hit, <a href="https://variety.com/2020/music/news/bts-big-hit-1-million-black-lives-matter-donation-1234627049/">donated US$1 million to Black Lives Matter</a>, BTS fans mobilized in a <a href="https://www.oneinanarmy.org/black-lives-matter">#MatchAMillion campaign</a>. They successfully <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/9397685/bts-army-fans-donate-1-million-black-lives-matter-organizations">reached their fundraising target in 24 hours</a>.</p>
<p>Big Hit was an outlier. While K-pop fans have received media attention for their support in the Black Lives Matter movement, the industry has largely remained quiet about what has become a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/6/12/21285244/black-lives-matter-global-protests-george-floyd-uk-belgium">global flashpoint</a>. The silence from most of the K-pop industry stands out even more against the <a href="https://www.cnet.com/how-to/companies-donating-black-lives-matter/">unprecedented number of businesses</a> standing with the anti-racism movement as a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200612-black-lives-matter-do-companies-really-support-the-cause">corporate strategy</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://annenberg.usc.edu/faculty/hye-jin-lee">I’m a scholar of popular culture</a>, and my research on K-pop shows how the K-pop industry’s conventional practice of shying away from political issues is currently being challenged by the more politically vocal and engaged fans at the moment of Black Lives Matter.</p>
<h2>A history of silence</h2>
<p>K-pop is generally understood as a particular style of music produced, distributed and consumed within the <a href="https://www.spin.com/2012/03/seoul-trained-inside-koreas-pop-factory/">idol training and management system</a>.</p>
<p>Under this system, Korean entertainment companies tightly control the images of the young K-pop stars and groom them to become “multi-entertainers” who can make various media appearances and potentially land numerous lucrative endorsement deals and partnerships with brands.</p>
<p>This goal requires K-pop stars to have a broad commercial appeal, secured through their exuberance and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/297451600_Fuel_for_South_Korea's_Global_Dreams_Factory_The_Desires_of_Parents_Whose_Children_Dream_of_Becoming_K-pop_Stars">exhibition of values that the Korean public approve, such as humility, hard work, discipline and obedience</a>.</p>
<p>The K-pop industry has a long history of staying out of political and social issues. Entertainment companies fear that getting mired in <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190721000231">politics</a> will <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2016/01/a-k-pop-star-a-flag-and-a-political-imbroglio/">hurt business</a>.</p>
<p>Even when millions of Koreans peacefully took to the streets for <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20161209000458">20 consecutive weekends</a> to demand the <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35014582">impeachment of ex-President Park Geun-hye</a> for her role in the government corruption, <a href="https://m.koreatimes.co.kr/pages/article.asp?newsIdx=291199">the K-pop industry and its stars stayed mum</a>.</p>
<p>K-pop’s transnational popularity, especially in <a href="https://thepolitic.org/when-pop-music-goes-nuclear-the-explosive-politics-of-k-pop-in-asia/">East Asia</a>, a region that has complex geopolitics and tensions from unresolved historical conflicts, is another reason the industry stays apolitical.</p>
<p>But due to the differing demands of the Korean fans who want their K-pop stars to advance Korea’s nationalistic causes and the international fans who want the K-pop stars to be sympathetic to their local causes, K-pop’s industry’s desire to maintain “<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14649373.2017.1388070">apolitical neutrality</a>” seems to be less tenable.</p>
<p>Even when K-pop stars avoid expressing their political views, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1748048518802947">geopolitical feuds between different countries in the East Asian region</a> can lead to disastrous financial consequences.</p>
<p>The world saw the result of this in the aftermath of <a href="http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20160805000785">the the U.S. missile defense system’s deployment</a> on the Korean soil. Worried that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/07/why-china-is-so-mad-about-thaad-a-missile-defense-system-aimed-at-deterring-north-korea/">the sophisticated radar systems</a> included in the system can track China’s own missiles, the Chinese government issued a stern warning that the deployment of THAAD will lead to a disastrous relationship between two countries.</p>
<p>When the Korean government failed to heed to that demand, China banned Korean entertainment and entertainers, leading many Korean companies to see their share prices to dip <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/2fea068e-5d48-11e6-bb77-a121aa8abd95">more than 15%</a> within a month of those <a href="https://www.vox.com/latest-news/2017/3/3/14795636/china-south-korea-pop-culture-kpop-attacks-thaad">retaliatory actions</a>. </p>
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<h2>K-pop in the states</h2>
<p>With K-pop’s growth into a <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/2/16/16915672/what-is-kpop-history-explained">$5 billion global industry</a>, Korean entertainment companies’ collective silence on Black Lives Matter seems to be less of a viable option when issues of racism and social inequality matter greatly to the American fans whose passion and effective fan labor have been at the center of that global growth. </p>
<p>K-pop’s global success being indebted to Black music and fandom is another important factor to why the K-pop industry cannot ignore the social justice movements that are happening in the U.S.</p>
<p>K-pop’s influence from Black music such as hip hop, rap and R&B is a huge factor in K-pop’s transnational appeal. Lee Soo Man, the founder of SM Entertainment, has acknowledged the connection, saying that K-pop is “<a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292866159_What_Is_the_K_in_K-pop_South_Korean_Popular_Music_the_Culture_Industry_and_National_Identity">based on Black music</a>.”</p>
<p>The founders of <a href="https://www.pressian.com/pages/articles/38064?no=38064">JYP, YG</a> and <a href="https://www.soompi.com/article/1092547wpp/bang-shi-hyuk-talks-bts-sings-korean">Big Hit Entertainment</a> have all publicly stated their influence from Black artists. The K-pop industry continues to draw inspiration from Black music by <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/how-american-rb-songwriters-found-a-new-home-in-k-pop-627643/">hiring Black American lyricists and producers</a> to provide R&B style music.</p>
<p>K-pop’s breakthrough in the U.S. is largely attributed to its transnational fandom base, with <a href="https://www.thedailybeast.com/black-k-pop-fans-come-out-of-the-closet">Black fans</a> contributing significantly to transform K-pop <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/06/05/1002781/kpop-fans-and-black-lives-matter/">from a niche genre to a global phenomenon</a>.</p>
<p>In fact, K-pop’s success in the U.S. was possible not because of a white, mainstream audience, but because a small, passionate group of K-pop fans – many from communities of color – discovered K-pop as they sought <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319547106_Postcolonial_Production_and_Consumption_of_Global_K-pop">alternatives to the mainstream popular culture that continues to privilege white representation as the norm</a>.</p>
<h2>K-pop as a political tool</h2>
<p>These fans are not political wallflowers.</p>
<p>American K-pop fans have held <a href="https://roguerocket.com/2019/10/02/bts-fans-slam-article-for-misrepresenting-k-pop/">American journalists and mainstream media accountable</a> when those journalists and outlets used racist stereotypes to cover K-pop. They have called out a white, Western record executive who expressed his desire to <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-real-reason-k-pop-fans-are-unhappy-with-simon-cowells-uk-pop-announcement.html/">whitewash K-pop</a> by creating a K-pop group without Koreans.</p>
<p>They have also challenged the <a href="https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/bts-and-blackpink-nominated-for-best-group-at-the-mtv-vmas.html/">racist and xenophobic actions of MTV</a> when it created a separate category for K-pop artists called “Best K-pop” while excluding them from the main awards such as “Best Pop” or “Artist of the Year” for Video Music Awards.</p>
<p>For these American fans, K-pop has become a tool for social justice.</p>
<p>However, fans are also looking at this tool in the context of the K-pop industry’s – and the <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-army-using-blackarmysmatter-to-call-out-racism-harassment-within-fandom">fandom’s</a> – <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/k-pop-idols-accountable-for-racist-actions">anti-Black racist practices</a> as K-pop is being celebrated as a popular weapon for activism.</p>
<p>K-pop idols have a history of wearing <a href="http://seoulbeats.com/2015/02/braids-cornrows-dreadlocks-hairy-side-cultural-appropriation/">cornrows, braids or dreads</a>, <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/03/145690/bruno-mars-k-pop-groups-racist-blackface">performing in Blackface</a> or <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2018/03/06/international-fans-react-red-velvets-wendy-mimicking-black-girls">making jokes about Black people</a>.</p>
<p>Considering that K-pop is a product of systematic planning and controlled management, these anti-Black performances were done with the approval of the Korean entertainment companies. As K-pop fans in America and around the world are protesting for social justice and racial equality, they are also using the moment to reflect on K-pop’s practices of <a href="https://twitter.com/brighterlove_/status/1268603006788030465">racism</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/haksmirk/status/1265816085573431296">cultural appropriation</a>.</p>
<p>The current moment is one of reckoning for the K-pop industry, where the narrow nationalism of its apoliticism appears at great odds with its American K-pop fans’ demand for political and social change. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/343005/original/file-20200619-43196-1yb7zzr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">K-pop fans in the U.S. have been urging industry professionals to speak out.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/fans-watch-seventeen-perform-in-concert-during-their-ode-to-news-photo/1198765399?adppopup=true">Michael Loccisano/Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Taking a stand</h2>
<p>A significant number of K-pop stars have already <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3087726/how-k-pop-artists-are-supporting-black-lives-matter">publicly stated their support</a> for the Black Lives Matter movement.</p>
<p>Korean entertainment companies that generally encourage their stars to refrain from political expressions as part of their management strategy have not stopped them from doing so. </p>
<p>In fact, on June 19, 2020, SM Entertainment, Korea’s biggest entertainment company, released <a href="https://twitter.com/SMTOWNGLOBAL/status/1273827954548604930">an official statement</a> on the Black Lives Matter movement. It took more than three weeks since the protests after the death of George Floyd and much prodding from American fans who have called out the company to speak out with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SMBLACKOUT?src=hashtag_click">#SMBLACKOUT</a> movement for the company to issue its support.</p>
<p>However, this shows how the socially conscious and politically outspoken American fans can nudge the K-pop industry to become more political, especially as K-pop aims to stay global.</p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklysmart">You can get our highlights each weekend</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141025/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hye Jin Lee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Few of those in the K-pop industry have donated or even spoken out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.Hye Jin Lee, Clinical Assistant Professor of Communication, USC Annenberg School for Communication and JournalismLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1047422018-10-12T11:57:59Z2018-10-12T11:57:59ZBTS: everything you need to know about the astounding success of the world’s favourite K-Pop band<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/240409/original/file-20181012-119126-1nmjq01.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=30%2C0%2C1599%2C894&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">YouTube.</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>South Korean boy band BTS are in the middle of a sell-out world tour, performing to tens of thousands of people in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and France. But in case you’ve missed their meteoric rise, here’s what you need to know about the latest K-Pop phenomenon. </p>
<p>Simply put: BTS are huge. Jimmy Fallon recently introduced them on The Tonight Show as “the biggest boy band on the planet”, and he might be right. In May this year, they became the first Korean band to <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8473643/bts-returns-to-no-1-billboard-artist-100-chart">top the US Billboard charts</a> with their album Love Yourself: Tear. They have sold more than 2.5m copies of the follow-up compilation album Love Yourself: Answer since its release in August – that’s twice as many sales as One Direction’s last album. </p>
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<p>BTS broke onto the scene in Korea with the hit song I Need U in 2015, gradually building momentum through album sales and endless public appearances. Since then, they have bagged all of the most sought-after awards at home: <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8006721/2017-mama-nominations-bts-exo-heize-iu-seventeen-twice-wanna-one">Mnet Asian Music Awards</a>, <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2018/01/25/bts-wins-grand-prize-seoul-music-awards-7260724/">Seoul Music Awards</a> and the <a href="https://www.koreaboo.com/news/bts-first-non-sm-entertainment-artist-win-disc-daesang-in-9-years/">Golden Disk Awards</a>.</p>
<p>Japan can’t get enough of them – there, they’ve played sell-out stadium tours and their albums have achieved double-platinum status. This is an impressive achievement, considering how lucrative the Japanese market is, how it has its own homegrown pop movement (J-Pop) and given the historical tensions and mutual suspicion between the two countries.</p>
<h2>Slick and polished</h2>
<p>Like all K-Pop bands (or “idols”, as they are known), they look good, move well and know how to sing. They are groomed, micro-managed, slickly packaged and unmistakably K-Pop in look and sound, combining soft masculinity with US-inspired pop genres. They will have endured the usual gruelling training programme before being “debuted” <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8455612/bts-takeover-timeline-bbmas">in 2013</a>.</p>
<p>Like other bands, BTS make creative use of social media to communicate with fans in a seemingly more intimate way – from starring in good-humoured “variety shows” on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/BANGTANTV">their YouTube channel</a>, to sending positive messages about the need for self-care <a href="https://twitter.com/bts_bighit?lang=en">on Twitter</a>, BTS are so big on social media that Twitter <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8023140/bts-new-twitter-emoji-amas-performance">created an emoji</a> just for them. On September 25 they addressed the UN Assembly to launch a campaign to encourage young people to speak up about bullying and abuse.</p>
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<p>BTS have built on the success of more established K-Pop bands such as Super Junior and Girls Generation, extending beyond the East Asian market into the US and now, tentatively, into Europe. News, gossip and video footage of the band is sought out and shared on social media, much of it translated and subtitled by K-Pop fans into Mandarin, English and even Portuguese (K-Pop artists regularly perform in Brazil, <a href="https://extra.globo.com/tv-e-lazer/sucesso-na-coreia-do-sul-pop-conquista-milhares-de-fas-no-brasil-22516433.html">one of their largest markets</a> outside East Asia).</p>
<p>But above all, BTS are big because they are “different”. Managed by Big Hit Entertainment, BTS are <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-south-korean-boy-band-bts-became-a-k-pop-hit-by-fighting-for-social-rights-97562">reportedly allowed</a> to contribute creatively to the band’s style and sound – a freedom <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13760064">not always afforded</a> to successful K-Pop acts. Big Hit has a relatively good reputation, in an industry <a href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/other-industries/south-korean-singer-kim-jonghyun-is-the-latest-victim-of-the-ruthless-kpop-industry/news-story/e7f1a2effca5303286a6eaa1d9c2e820?from=rss-basic">known for its ruthless treatment</a> of pop stars. With their well-publicised <a href="https://www.teenvogue.com/story/bts-mental-health">focus on mental health issues</a> in songs, tweets and their work with UNICEF, BTS seem to have struck a chord with Western audiences.</p>
<h2>Fan army</h2>
<p>Not a fan club: an ARMY. The word ARMY is the acronym of the rather clumsy “Adorable Representative MC for Youth”, a term chosen by managers Big Hit and readily embraced by the fan base. Like the Beliebers and Swifties, the ARMY is an essential part of their band’s marketing machine. </p>
<p>Their recent success in the US was partly driven by the three million votes accrued through a fan-driven campaign on social media to ensure their success at the Billboard Music Awards. Members of the ARMY are active on social media and have been instrumental in spreading awareness of the band’s UNICEF-sponsored “Love Myself” campaign. </p>
<p>Groups of anonymous fans have also set up support groups on Twitter to help anyone struggling with mental health issues: the biggest account of this type is <a href="https://twitter.com/bts_ahc?lang=en">@BTS_ArmyHelpCentre</a>, where anyone can DM to access mutual support and help regardless of gender, age and nationality.</p>
<p>So, what can you expect from a BTS concert? A tightly choreographed, energetic performance with pitch-perfect harmonies and very fast rapping. Expect the fans to know all the dance moves to their hit songs: they will have been rehearsing too. The noise will be deafening: as well as the music, you’ll hear famous fan chants, in which all the band members get a name check in time to the rhythm of the songs. </p>
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<p>Most fans, regardless of nationality, will know all the words of the songs (sung mostly in Korean) and what they mean. They’ll all have a BTS light stick, used to keep rhythm and to create complicated light-based choreography. And expect screaming, plenty of tears, exhaustion and the odd fainting incident. There will likely be a crowd of enthusiastic fans (mostly teenage girls) outside the venue: the concerts sold out in minutes and not many could afford the four-figure resale prices on e-Bay.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/104742/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Their compilation album Love Yourself: Answer sold 2.5m copies – that’s twice as many as One Direction’s last album.Stephanie Dennison, Professor in Brazilian Studies, University of LeedsStefania Pozzi, PhD Candidate, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/975622018-06-05T14:52:02Z2018-06-05T14:52:02ZHow South Korean boy band BTS became a K-pop hit by fighting for social rights<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/221537/original/file-20180604-175400-1p8y645.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">K-pop sensation, BTS.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/las-vegas-may-20-bts-jin-1094987090?src=dujFKQpDfN67ajjJawna8g-1-1">Katy Hutchinson/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Since bursting onto the music scene five years ago, South Korean boy band BTS (“Bangtan Sonyeondan”, “Bulletproof Boys Scouts”) has become an incredible force for good. This year alone, the collective – which consists of members RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jungkook – has won several awards <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/bbma/8456936/bts-wins-top-social-artist-2018-billboard-music-awards">for their fan engagement</a>, while tickets for their world tour <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/02/bts-officially-sold-every-show-love-world-tour-7598900/">sold out in minutes</a>. Their third full length album, Love Yourself: Tear, became the first non-English language album <a href="https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/8458037/bts-love-yourself-tear-first-k-pop-album-no-1-billboard-200">to top the Billboard 200</a> in 12 years. </p>
<p>Though some global critics may still be baffled by the band – The Guardian’s Alexis Petridis has ignorantly <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/may/18/bts-love-yourself-tear-review-k-pop">called</a> the “actual contents” of BTS’s third album “almost beside the point” while branding BTS fans as hollow minded saying that, “perhaps a group whose lyrics you don’t understand represent an appealingly blank screen” – BTS’s impact cannot be denied. </p>
<p>Love Yourself: Tear is a maximiser’s dream. The dreamy dark tunes dip into multiple genres, from neo-soul, through Latin to scream rap. But dig deeper into the messages of the song, and you will find precisely why the K-pop band is unparalleled. BTS has never obeyed social conventions or taboos. Every lyric strikes a chord with South Korean youth, and resonates all over the globe.</p>
<h2>Support</h2>
<p>In an interview at the start of 2018, band member Suga <a href="https://www.soompi.com/2018/01/29/bts-shares-individual-goals-2018-think-key-success/">explained</a> that BTS just said “the things that someone needed to say, but that no one did”. South Koreans currently in their 20s and 30s are sometimes referred to as the “2030 generation”. They face toweringly high standards in all areas of their competitive society, from looks to work ethic. Talking about pressure is a cultural taboo, sustained by a social pecking order based on age and loyalties. But BTS has made it their mission to replace this culture of silence with honesty. The generation gap, unemployment and overemphasis on achievement in school have all been tackled in their lyrics. Take 2015 song Silver Spoon, for example, where J-Hope <a href="https://genius.com/Bts-silver-spoon-baepsae-lyrics">raps</a>: “At a part-time job, it’s passion pay / At school, it’s the teachers / The superiors’ violence / The number of generations in the media everyday.”</p>
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<p>This disarming honesty is combined with eye-catching performances that are always preened to perfection. BTS is serious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously. They have danced while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl54gG0B8I0">dressed up</a> as Snow White and her dwarves and are renowned for their love of Gucci.</p>
<h2>Trip to the top</h2>
<p>The trip to the top is never an easy one, but even more so in the K-pop industry, which is notorious for its ruthless side. Musical successes are often overshadowed by legal battles over agencies controlling artists. Long working hours, low pay and limited privacy <a href="https://www.koreaexpose.com/k-pop-korean-music-musicians-labor-abuse/">have ruined</a> some musicians’ lives. BTS, by comparison, has a good relationship with its agency, Big Hit Entertainment, helped by the fact that CEO Bang Si-hyuk <a href="http://kpopherald.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=201703032117427077167_2">is a firm believer</a> of self-motivation and self-management.</p>
<p>The CEO’s distinguishing attitude is one of the core reasons why BTS has been such a success. Where other modern day boy bands have stuck to singing about love and heartache, from the beginning <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bangtan/comments/7thtn4/180128_exclusive_interview_bts_behind_our_success/">he has encouraged</a> BTS to tell personal stories, and insisted members retain the freedom to inject a heavy dose of social criticism and introspection into their lyrics. </p>
<p>The latest album is the most personal and dark yet. Suga – who has previously <a href="https://soundcloud.com/bangtan/sets/agust-d">opened up about</a> his struggles with depression – <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/bangtan/comments/7thtn4/180128_exclusive_interview_bts_behind_our_success/">said of the album</a>, “I am anxious, so are you, so let’s find the way and study the way together”. Songs refer to fighting mental health stigmas, as well as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvF7carX4so">childhood traumas</a> and fear of being judged for opening up about them. In other tunes, BTS reassures that it is OK to determine the size of your own dreams, however small they might be. </p>
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<p>BTS is not infallible, but they deal with criticism as honestly and openly as any other issue in their music. After <a href="https://www.soompi.com/2016/07/06/fans-request-statement-bts-misogynistic-lyrics-bighit-responds/">being called out</a> for referring to traditional gender roles in older music and tweets, the band released the following statement: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Through self-review and discussion, we’ve learned that we can’t be free of societal prejudices and mistakes … things that are seen and learned in society … Please continue to watch BTS grow, and if you would continue to point out our shortcomings, we will continue to work hard. </p>
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<p>Openly communicating about growth – their own, and their fans – has been central to the group’s work. After a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hk9_zjVhI3A">song</a> about girl power was included on the album Wings, RM <a href="http://www.vlive.tv/video/47519?channelCode=FE619">recommended</a> fans read Cho Nam Joo’s novel <a href="http://www.dramasrok.com/2017/11/korean-book-review-born-1982-kim-ji-young/">Kim Ji Young, Born 1982</a> which sheds light on the subtle discrimination that South Korean women have to deal with. The third album also comes up with some suggestions to deal with difficult times, encouraging listeners not to let worries and negative reactions influence their day and to <a href="https://www.soompi.com/2018/06/04/book-inspired-btss-magic-shop-becomes-best-seller-korea/">use</a> <a href="https://youtu.be/BP71K87Hp5Y">“psychodramatic techniques”</a> – such as mindfulness and visualisation – to exchange fear for a positive attitude. </p>
<p>At a time when so many young people are struggling to find their place, it is almost no surprise that BTS has been such a big hit. Their impressive work goes to show that pop music can be about so much more than broken hearts or catchy lyrics – it can make a world of difference.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/97562/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aleydis Nissen receives PhD funding from Cardiff University's School of Law and Politics. The Pascal Decroos Fund for investigative journalism and Seoul National University's Human Rights Center have also supported her.
</span></em></p>Five years since they burst on to the scene, and BTS is still fighting for social rights through catchy K-pop tunes.Aleydis Nissen, PhD Researcher, Cardiff UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.