2023-06-13 05:43:27
The first South Korean band to top the US and UK charts aged ten. Seoul on Monday kicked off a week-long celebration honoring the supergroup’s first decade of K-pop BTS.
On Monday morning, fans had gathered in front of the offices of his agency HYBE, whose facade was painted with a huge fresco bearing the likeness of the seven members of the group, to take selfies or record TikTok videos of the event. Fans – known as ARMY – from all over the world made the trip for the occasion and the Seoul Municipality set up a special program to welcome visitors.
“It’s exciting to be here. It’s exhilarating to be surrounded by other ARMYs,” said Anne Micic, a 55-year-old scientist. “When you meet other ARMYs it’s almost like having another family, it’s really awesome,” the Aussie fan continued.
“BTS saved my life”
BTS “saved my life,” Claudia Agustin, a 23-year-old Indonesian fan who works in accounting, told Seoul, adding that her words helped her through difficult times in her life. She said she was “really, really proud” of the ten years of the group and its seven members. “I know how hard they fought from their debut and then they really came through. Today, everyone knows them,” she added. BTS, which debuted on June 13, 2013, popularized South Korean music across the globeraking in billions of dollars by building a global community of fans.
The city of Seoul has released a special tourist map that points to 13 places to visit in the capital, including the HYBE agency office in Yongsan and the historic Gyeongbok Palace, where the septet filmed a special edition of The Tonight Show with Jimmy fallon. Seoul tourist hotspots, such as Namsan Tower and Dongdaemun Design Plaza, will be lit up in purple, the color of the band’s fans, for the occasion.
A special set of stamps unveiled by Korea Post is already out of stock online, with the 120,000 sets available taking just three hours to sell out after they went on sale on May 22, a post official said. post, saying he was surprised. Fans will still be able to pick them up in person, however, as starting Tuesday, the band’s official debut anniversary date, around 80,000 stamps and other goodies will be available at all post offices.
Currently on break
The group, currently on hiatus since two of its members are performing their military service, compulsory in South Korea, released a new single last week. “Take Two” (which can be translated as “take number two”), is intended to herald a new chapter for the group after a prolific decade.
A handwritten letter from J-Hope, who began his military service in April, was posted on global fandom platform Weverse on Monday. “I guess I will be very disciplined militarily” when the letter is revealed, writes the artist, in this document. “Whatever the day, I sincerely thank you and I love you,” he wrote to his fans.
Those of the members who are not yet doing their military service are developing their solo careers during this time, a carefully planned strategy, experts believe. “All male K-pop groups will have to go on hiatus or transition due to mandatory military service in South Korea,” notes Billboard K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin. “But not all groups have adequately prepared like BTS, with pre-prepared music and meaningful content,” he said.
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