<p>Popstars, diplomats, activists: South Korean megastars BTS are like modern-day Renaissance men, dominating the charts even as they represent their country and campaign for causes close to their heart, analysts say.</p>.<p>And so, when the news broke Tuesday that the trailblazing boy band is going on a ‘hiatus’, fans across the world were left in tears and their investors livid. But they aren’t going on a break, clarification came in soon and was blamed on the mistranslation of the word ‘hiatus’. They are going to focus on solo projects even as they play together, reports suggest.</p>.<p>But the hysteria around the gaffe begs the question: What makes them the phenomenon they are?</p>.<p>There is “no one with greater global cultural power or soft power than BTS,” Linda Hasunuma, a political scientist at Temple University, says.</p>.<p>“They have more power to influence culture than any politician or celebrity,” she adds, pointing to their record-breaking following on social media.</p>.<p>True that. They’ve spoken at the United Nations and appeared at the White House to fight racism, while still remaining one of the most popular bands in the world on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.</p>.<p>Their lyrics are socially conscious and they consistently engage with fans at home and abroad through social media.</p>.<p>The band has become “an icon of progressive globalism,” says Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo. “They are part of the entrepreneurial world, being managed by a for-profit agency and earning astronomic sums... But at the same time, they and their fans supported anti-racist movements,” he says.</p>.<p>In 2020, they donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement, inspiring fans to contribute the same amount.</p>.<p>And they spoke in Korean at the White House on May 31 seeking to raise awareness of anti-Asian racism in America — a phenomenon many blame on fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>Member Suga appealed for tolerance, saying that “it’s not wrong to be different. I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.”</p>.<p>The group “has already exceeded the level of a famous pop star in some ways,” Jiyoung Lee, a research professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, says, adding, “The symbolic meaning of them is believed to embody to some extent the zeitgeist of the present era.”</p>.<p>“BTS do it in a way that is immensely relatable and resonates on a personal level with many across the world,” author Tamar Herman, who wrote ‘BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears’, says about their music.</p>
<p>Popstars, diplomats, activists: South Korean megastars BTS are like modern-day Renaissance men, dominating the charts even as they represent their country and campaign for causes close to their heart, analysts say.</p>.<p>And so, when the news broke Tuesday that the trailblazing boy band is going on a ‘hiatus’, fans across the world were left in tears and their investors livid. But they aren’t going on a break, clarification came in soon and was blamed on the mistranslation of the word ‘hiatus’. They are going to focus on solo projects even as they play together, reports suggest.</p>.<p>But the hysteria around the gaffe begs the question: What makes them the phenomenon they are?</p>.<p>There is “no one with greater global cultural power or soft power than BTS,” Linda Hasunuma, a political scientist at Temple University, says.</p>.<p>“They have more power to influence culture than any politician or celebrity,” she adds, pointing to their record-breaking following on social media.</p>.<p>True that. They’ve spoken at the United Nations and appeared at the White House to fight racism, while still remaining one of the most popular bands in the world on TikTok, Instagram and Twitter.</p>.<p>Their lyrics are socially conscious and they consistently engage with fans at home and abroad through social media.</p>.<p>The band has become “an icon of progressive globalism,” says Vladimir Tikhonov, professor of Korean Studies at the University of Oslo. “They are part of the entrepreneurial world, being managed by a for-profit agency and earning astronomic sums... But at the same time, they and their fans supported anti-racist movements,” he says.</p>.<p>In 2020, they donated $1 million to the Black Lives Matter movement, inspiring fans to contribute the same amount.</p>.<p>And they spoke in Korean at the White House on May 31 seeking to raise awareness of anti-Asian racism in America — a phenomenon many blame on fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>.<p>Member Suga appealed for tolerance, saying that “it’s not wrong to be different. I think equality begins when we open up and embrace all of our differences.”</p>.<p>The group “has already exceeded the level of a famous pop star in some ways,” Jiyoung Lee, a research professor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, says, adding, “The symbolic meaning of them is believed to embody to some extent the zeitgeist of the present era.”</p>.<p>“BTS do it in a way that is immensely relatable and resonates on a personal level with many across the world,” author Tamar Herman, who wrote ‘BTS: Blood, Sweat & Tears’, says about their music.</p>