South Korean K-pop stars BTS hit the right note of how to wield cultural power

When the South Korean lad band/K-pop sensation BTS takes the signifier successful Seoul this June, ending a four-year touring hiatus, it volition people much than conscionable a comeback — it volition validate 1 of the shrewdest soft-power decisions successful caller memory.  

In 2022, astatine the implicit apex of their planetary dominance, the group’s 7 members chose to fulfill their mandatory subject work alternatively than question exemptions, which would astir surely been granted. Their absorption company, HYBE, supported the decision. The satellite got a masterclass successful however taste powerfulness is created. 

The cynics predicted vocation suicide. Instead, BTS demonstrated that brushed powerfulness isn’t built connected avoiding obligations — it’s built connected embracing them. When they reunite connected stage, they’ll bash truthful with enhanced credibility, having proven their occurrence didn’t exempt them from the responsibilities of mean citizens. Americans retrieve Elvis taking a akin people astatine the tallness of his fame.  

The large happening astir brushed powerfulness is that, portion generated by originative individuals and companies, it’s to the full nation’s benefit. Like economical and martial power, brushed powerfulness generates power that tin beryllium utilized to bolster a nation’s standing. Examples of brushed powerfulness abound from Britain’s cricket bequest and stone ’n’ rotation "invasion" of the 1960s to French and Italian cinema to America’s NBA, jazz euphony and Hollywood’s amusement machine. Now, South Korea is stepping up.

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V, Suga, Jin, Jungkook, RM, Jimin and J-Hope of BTS attends the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards astatine MGM Grand Garden Arena connected April 3, 2022, successful Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Thus, it is astir tragic that portion BTS was serving successful the military, the ecosystem that made the set imaginable faces mounting scrutiny. South Korea has go adept astatine creating taste phenomena that captivate the world — and arsenic adept astatine treating the architects of that occurrence with suspicion erstwhile they execute scale. This is simply a signifier South Korea cannot afford.   

South Korea’s taste preeminence did not look from a authorities plan. It sprang from originative ambition, commercialized ruthlessness, and conscionable capable regulatory abstraction for experimentation. The K-pop strategy requires monolithic superior investment, blase planetary organisation and executives consenting to stake 9 figures connected whether teenagers successful Jakarta and São Paulo volition watercourse the aforesaid songs. 

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Yet, there’s a reflex successful South Korean nationalist beingness that treats popularity itself arsenic grounds of wrongdoing. Bang Si-hyuk, the shaper who built HYBE and shaped BTS into a planetary phenomenon, present faces ineligible scrutiny implicit banal transactions — the benignant of firm governance questions that look to look astir inevitably erstwhile South Korean companies execute capable scale.   

The particulars substance little than the pattern: bold risk-taking generates brushed power, past invites probe erstwhile it succeeds. 

Executives who mightiness physique the adjacent BTS oregon planetary TV steaming sensation like, "Crash Landing connected You," ticker what happens to those who came earlier and recalibrate their ambition accordingly. In taste brushed power, this reflex is perchance fatal. 

South Korea’s competitors are watching. China has spent billions trying to manufacture brushed powerfulness done authorities directed enterprises. The PRC has mostly failed — because audiences odor propaganda. South Korean escaped endeavor is succeeding successful creating taste exports that are simultaneously section and universal, circumstantial capable to consciousness authentic successful Seoul and accessible capable to question crossed the globe.  

This is South Korea’s opportunity. Japan was fixed a akin model successful the 1990s with anime and video games, but mostly failed to capitalize connected the inclination due to the fact that of governmental missteps. South Korea could easy repetition that mistake and suffer the planetary power that comes superior nationalist brushed power. 

South Korea needs to admit soft-power assets arsenic strategical resources. France protects its luxury brands due to the fact that Paris recognizes these companies task French sensation globally successful ways nary authorities bureau could. South Korea should ask: What organization arrangements let america to support standards portion protecting our champions? 

South Korea’s taste preeminence did not look from a authorities plan. It sprang from originative ambition, commercialized ruthlessness, and conscionable capable regulatory abstraction for experimentation. 

BTS’s determination to fulfill their nationalist subject work obligations demonstrates what’s imaginable erstwhile artists, companies and nationalist involvement align voluntarily. HYBE supported that choice. But South Korea can’t number connected specified choices being made repeatedly if the strategy treats occurrence arsenic inherently suspect.

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In June 2026, erstwhile BTS embarks connected a planetary circuit generating billions successful economical interaction and incalculable goodwill toward South Korea, retrieve this infinitesimal astir didn’t happen. The members could person sought exemptions. Instead, they chose work and came backmost stronger. 

But South Korea can’t number connected specified choices if the connection to taste entrepreneurs is that occurrence invites scrutiny. The adjacent procreation is watching, deciding whether to purpose for planetary interaction oregon settee for home safety.

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Then-Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began the May 2022 briefing by welcoming BTS arsenic "special guests" to the briefing room.  (Kevin Dietsch)

South Korea stumbled into becoming a taste superpower. It doesn't person to stumble retired of it. But that requires recognizing that the bold, imperfect figures who physique planetary taste enterprises are assets to beryllium protected, not problems to beryllium managed. 

BTS made their choice — they stake connected their country. Now, South Korea needs to determine if it's going to stake connected the radical who make the adjacent BTS, oregon enactment them nether probe instead. 

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