Music Oct 20, 2020
BTS fans have a new way to show their love: buying shares
by Yoojung Lee and Heejin Kim
In the music industry, fans are everything. But when it comes to K-pop, that adage holds more true than ever.
Business Oct 15, 2020
South Korea's Big Hit market debut tempered by reliance on K-pop group BTS
Big Hit Entertainment, the management label of South Korean superstar K-pop group BTS, hit the stock market with a 9.6 trillion won ($8.38 billion) valuation on Thursday before worries over its narrow revenue stream pulled shares below the debut price. Big Hit, which relies heavily ...
Asia Pacific Oct 13, 2020
BTS honored Korean War sacrifices. Some in China saw an insult.
by Tiffany May and Amy Chang Chien
The group's leader acknowledged the shared suffering of Americans and Koreans during a recent ceremony commemorating the war.
Entertainment News Oct 8, 2020
Can K-pop superstars be exempt from military service?
by Ju-min Park
Calls are mounting within South Korea for members of megaband BTS to be granted alternatives or delays to mandatory military service, with some lawmakers and fans arguing they are doing plenty for their country without wearing a soldier's uniform.
Entertainment News Jun 23, 2020
Online disruption of Trump rally highlights K-pop's political hustle
Viral posts on TikTok and Twitter revealed that plans to reserve tickets en masse had been circulating for days, racking up hundreds of thousands of views.
Entertainment News Jun 7, 2020
South Korean boyband BTS donates $1 million to Black Lives Matter
Popular South Korean band BTS donated $1 million to Black Lives Matter (BLM) in support of U.S. protests against police brutality, its music label, Big Hit Entertainment, said Sunday. On Thursday, the seven-member BTS wrote on its Twitter account that they are against racism and ...
Music | Sound Off Nov 15, 2018
by Patrick St. Michel
Throngs of fans packed Tokyo Dome on Tuesday and Wednesday to watch K-pop group BTS perform songs from across its five-year career. The crowd cheered, bought merchandise and the two days offered the seven-member group some respite from a week of scandal. Things kicked off ...
Entertainment News Nov 14, 2018
NHK unveils lineup for year-end music show — without K-pop group BTS
Public broadcaster NHK announced Wednesday the lineup for its annual New Year's Eve music extravaganza, but K-pop group BTS — under fire recently for a controversial T-shirt worn by one of its members — was not included. Popular groups like Da Pump and Ikimonogakari, which ...
National Nov 14, 2018
Talent agency managing K-pop group BTS apologizes over A-bomb T-shirt
The talent agency that represents K-pop group BTS on Tuesday apologized over one of its members wearing an offensive T-shirt that depicted an atomic bomb exploding over Japan, and other members having earlier worn hats that carried the Nazi guard insignia. In a statement, agency ...
Asia Pacific Nov 12, 2018
Jewish human rights group blasts K-pop band BTS over A-bomb T-shirt and hats with Nazi logo
A leading Jewish human rights group has denounced popular K-pop band BTS, whose live performance on Japanese TV was canceled last week, over a T-shirt mocking victims of the atomic bombing of Japan while also claiming that a photo shoot had shown them wearing ...
Music | Sound Off Apr 19, 2018
BTS is big, let's hope the hype helps other Asian acts
by Patrick St. Michel
Earlier this month, an album sung mainly in Japanese landed on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart at No. 43. That's a rare accomplishment for any Japanese artist — and an even less frequent one for a non-Japanese outfit to pull off. But it's just ...