Appears they view these bands as some sort of national resource that needs to be protected. Maybe related to the generation of economic activity, tourism, International relations etc.
I'm sure this will serve to generate animosity domestically. Do a little dancing, sing a song, most likely written by someone else; and you receive special privileges. How noble a pursuit is that?
Koreans treat economics success like warfare, have since the war at least, if not before. BTS has over 18 million Youtube subscribers and video 'watches of 2.5 billion times. Social media followers over 20 million. Maybe Taylor Swift is bigger, don't know but they're close. They're on top globally, which is a big deal for Koreans and the K Pop industry. Don't know about 'noble' pursuits, but how 'noble' is the peanut business or the burger joint business or any other, really?
en.wikipedia.org
"BTS (
Korean: 방탄소년단;
RR:
Bangtan Sonyeondan), also known as the
Bangtan Boys, is a seven-member South Korean
boy band that began formation in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under
Big Hit Entertainment.
[3] The septet—composed of
RM,
Jin,
Suga,
J-Hope,
Jimin,
V, and
Jungkook—co-writes and co-produces much of their own output. Originally a
hip hop group, their musical style has evolved to include a wide range of genres. Their lyrics, often focused on personal and social commentary, touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and individualism. Their work features references to literature and psychological concepts and includes an
alternative universe storyline. The group has released several albums and performed on several world tours.
After debuting in 2013 with their single album
2 Cool 4 Skool, BTS released their first Korean-language studio album,
Dark & Wild, and Japanese-language studio album,
Wake Up, in 2014. The group's second Korean studio album,
Wings (2016), was their first to sell one million copies in South Korea. By 2017, BTS crossed into the global music market, leading the
Korean Wave into the United States and breaking numerous sales records. They became the first Korean group to receive a certification from the
Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their single "
Mic Drop", as well as the first Korean act to top the US
Billboard 200 chart with their studio album
Love Yourself: Tear (2018). BTS also became the fastest group since
The Beatles to earn four US number-one albums, doing so in less than two years.
Love Yourself: Answer (2018) was the first Korean album certified
platinum by the RIAA. In 2020, BTS became the first all-South Korean act to reach number one on the
Billboard Global 200 and US
Billboard Hot 100 with their single "
Dynamite" and remix of "
Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)".
Having sold over 20 million albums on the
Gaon Music Chart, BTS is the best-selling artist in South Korean history and holds the
best-selling album in South Korea with
Map of the Soul: 7. BTS was ranked at number 45 on
Billboard's Top Touring Artists of the 2010s, the only non-English speaking act on the list. During their
Love Yourself World Tour, BTS became the first Asian and first non-English speaking act to headline and sell out
Wembley Stadium and broke the record for the single highest-grossing engagement in
Rose Bowl Stadium history. Featured on
Time's international cover as "Next Generation Leaders", BTS has also appeared in the magazine's lists of the 25 most influential people on the internet (2017–2019) and the
100 most influential people in the world (2019), where they were dubbed "
Princes of Pop".
Forbes Korea named BTS the most influential celebrities of Korea in 2018 and 2020, and BTS ranked 43rd in the
Forbes Celebrity 100 (2019) as one of the world's top-earning celebrities.
As of 2019, BTS is purportedly worth more than $4.65 billion to South Korea's economy each year, or 0.3 percent of the country's GDP. They attract one in every 13 foreign tourists that visited South Korea and were cited as one of the key acts in boosting global music sales to $19 billion in 2018.
Following the establishment of their Love Myself anti-violence campaign in partnership with UNICEF, BTS addressed the United Nations 73rd and 75th General Assemblies and became the youngest ever recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit from the President of South Korea due to their contributions in spreading Korean culture and language."
...
BTS released their first English-language single, "
Dynamite", on August 21. Its music video broke the YouTube record for the most viewed premiere, with more than three million viewers, and set a new record for the
most viewed video in the first 24 hours of release. It also became the first music video on the platform to surpass 100 million views in less than one day.
[307] "Dynamite" debuted at number one on the US
Billboard Hot 100 chart with over 260,000 pure sales—enough for it to become the fastest-selling single since
Taylor Swift's "
Look What You Made Me Do" (2017)—earning BTS their first chart topper and making them the first all-South Korean act (second Asian act overall) to earn a number one single in the United States."
Bold added by me. Amazing sales stats for a Korean language band. They're doing more for Korea as a Boy band than they would running around in circles with packs on.
www.thejakartapost.com
