[EAI Working Paper] The Story of BTS's Global Appeal: BTS, Global Citizens Grown in Korea

Editor's Note

The East Asia Institute (EAI) launched the 'BTS Appeal Theory' research team in September 2019. Ahead of the publication of the book "The Story of BTS's Global Appeal," which analyzes the BTS phenomenon from the perspectives of cultural sociology, communication studies, and international politics, we are publishing the third working paper series, "The World Stage BTS Ascended: A New Horizon for Charm Diplomacy."

This study approaches the phenomenon of BTS exerting global appeal by examining their national identity and Korea's soft power. It highlights that BTS's appeal lies in its ability to incorporate universal messages while retaining the details of specificity, without hiding or overly emphasizing their Korean identity. This is presented as the core of BTS's appeal.

※ The following is an excerpt of the content. Please refer to the attached file above for the full text.

What Does Korea Mean to BTS and Their Fans?

Bangtan Sonyeondan (hereinafter BTS) consists of seven members, and their agency, Big Hit Entertainment (hereinafter Big Hit), is also purely a Korean entity. The lyrics of BTS's songs are almost entirely in Korean, and the content reflects the situation in Korea and the members' life experiences within Korea. Despite this, their fandom, ARMY (hereinafter ARMY), numbering approximately 1.5 million, is globally diverse. What significance does Korean nationality hold for BTS? How do the BTS members and the various participants involved in producing BTS's work perceive Korean characteristics? And how do international fans, critics, and general listeners view and feel BTS's Korean characteristics?

BTS's achievements are not only artistic and musical triumphs but also significant international political phenomena. This is because their work represents the highest level of achievement in various fields originating from Korea and has gained global recognition. While Koreans have already received considerable international recognition in fields such as arts, sports, academia, and economics, achieving similar success in the popular music industry, where the cultural barrier of nationality is high, has been rare. Therefore, BTS's accomplishment is exceptional and warrants an international political approach.

In contemporary international politics, national power is not solely defined by hard power elements like military and economic strength; the importance of soft power, encompassing culture, institutions, ideology, and arts, is well recognized. In essence, Korea's appeal becomes a crucial component of its national power. BTS's music has succeeded in enhancing Korea's soft power, leading to widespread dissemination of information about Korea, the Korean language, and the lives of Korean youth among international audiences.

Were these achievements by BTS intentional? Are they the result of deliberate strategies related to Korea's soft power, national branding, or cultural promotion, as many international commentators suggest? The paradox of soft power is that while it is a national asset, it can be immediately lost when nationalism or strategic nationality tied to a specific nation's intentions becomes apparent. Although soft power is related to national strength, it loses its power when it fails to transcend a particular nation and achieve universality. Similarly, BTS's success is rooted in its Korean background, but it appears to have succeeded precisely because it transcends Korea, reflects Korea within a universal context, and does not overtly emphasize its Korean identity.

BTS does not intentionally promote the excellence of Korean culture, the distinctiveness of the Korean language, the characteristics of the political, cultural, and social systems that produced BTS's music, or the systematic nature of the K-Pop industry. To do so would mean losing their universal appeal. Therefore, what is the significance of BTS's Korean nationality, and how should it be analyzed? What implications does BTS offer for the soft power, public diplomacy, and foreign relations of South Korea, a middle power aspiring to universal values?

■ Author: Jeon Jae-sung_ Director of the EAI Center for National Security Studies and Professor at Seoul National University. He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Northwestern University and has served as President of the Korean Political Science Association and as an advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defense, and Ministry of Unification. His primary research areas include international political theory, history of international relations, East Asian security studies, and Korean foreign policy. His major publications include "International Politics of Northeast Asia: The International Politics of States with Imperfect Sovereignty" (2020), "Sovereignty and International Politics: The Imperial Character of the Modern Sovereign State System" (2019), "Is Politics Moral?: The Transcendent Realism of Reinhold Niebuhr" (2012), and "East Asian International Politics: From History to Theory" (2011).

■ Contact and Editing: Ju-hyun Jeon, EAI Research Fellow

Inquiries: +82-2-2277-1683 (ext. 204) jhjun@eai.or.kr

[EAI Working Papers] are scholarly reports that pinpoint the core issues and provide in-depth analysis on major domestic and international affairs. Please cite the source when quoting. EAI is an independent research institution independent of any partisan interests. The claims and opinions expressed in the reports, journals, and books published by EAI do not represent EAI and are solely the views of the individual authors.