In light of recent events, my closing statement is rather tangential to my response. Initially, this conversation seemed to be unique to BTS — I failed to find a similar debate relating to any other artist in the past. However, the recent death of Irrfan Khan, a beloved Indian actor, resulted in a surprisingly similar […]

The conversation of BTS in relation to K-pop can be cumbersome, especially when the answer is generally always a “Yes, but,” if not a “Yes” outright. But K-pop fans and experts across the board have had greater conversations over the years regarding what “K-pop” even means, and using BTS as a focal point for it […]

Based on the transcript, it seems the “Is BTS K-pop or not” argument firstly and mostly came from the fans’ sincerity to protect the group from a xenophobic Western media and general public. But I do not believe that is the best strategy, nor the right thing to do. BTS certainly does not have to […]

Has there ever been an artistic group that did not want to say that they were more than the labels others have applied to them? Don’t all of us want to escape being confined by outside expectations? There are a handful of times in the last seven years that members of BTS have mentioned being […]

The name K-Pop is a modifier referring to a particular genre of idol music in Korea, and it was first used from an outside perspective. And the inside (Korea) has negotiated with the meaning in the process and accepted it as a general term. Interpellation inevitably implies a hegemonic power relationship. Labeling “Korean Idol music” […]

I have discussed the issue presuming that K-pop refers to the industry and its music-related production. But K-pop can also be discussed as a phenomenon, form of activism, world, and culture. If we think of K-pop as a cultural process that entails all of these discourses and activities outside of the Korean industry, it will […]