Last October, I started watching Squid Game on Netflix after seeing the hype on social media. I made the mistake of watching the first episode with the English dubbing, but the actors’ performances and the cinematography made it watchable. I sent my friends a message on our group chat about how much I was enjoying the show, but I was finding the dubbing irritating, and my friend told me I could watch it with the original Korean dialogue with English subtitles. This was a game changer, the show suddenly had a completely different feel to it. The first thing that got my attention was the Korean language itself. I loved how it sounded and the intonation they put on words. I obviously didn't understand anything at this point, other than slowly picking up words like 야 (pronounced like "ya" in English) which means hey, and can be used to express surprise, annoyance or anger. I loved Ali Abdul (Player 199) and felt betrayed by the old man (Player 1) when his true identity was revealed. I also couldn't help but find Gi-hun (Player 456) endearing and rooted for him despite his flaws. He was a deadbeat dad who stole money from his own mum to gamble, but we can all appreciate an anti-hero (see Walter White, Dexter Morgan, Villanelle).
Whenever I finish a show I really enjoyed, I feel like my life has changed for the better and I go on a YouTube binge, watching video essays and interviews with the cast. When I watched Breaking Bad, I could not shut up about it for months. After finishing Squid Game, I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole. In one of the interviews, Jung-jae Lee who plays Gi-hun said that he had recently watched the Netflix documentary BLACKPINK: Light Up the Sky. I wasn't that familiar with BLACKPINK at this point, but remembered I had heard snippets of their songs in TikToks. I came across an interview with Conan O'Brien and the actor Steven Yeun who I recognised from The Walking Dead. He was promoting the film Minari which I ended up watching and enjoying. After this, I stumbled upon a video of Conan reacting to the K-pop group BTS (also known as Bangtan Sonyeondan, 방탄소년단 in Korean) playing a game where they have to identify celebrities. A photo of Conan popped up and one of the members, J-hope (at this point I didn't know his name but he's now my bias) called out "Curtain!" and was immediately embarrassed when he realised his mistake. It was all in good fun, but he still apologised to Conan on Twitter.
My introduction to K-pop was PSY's Gangnam Style in 2012. I had no idea K-pop existed before this. Now that I look back, it's funny that a then-15 year old me was singing "Oppa Gangnam Style" without even knowing what 'oppa' meant or that Gangnam was an actual place. All I knew was the song was catchy and the video was entertaining. I went to see Parasite and thought it was great. The cinematography, the imagery, the commentary on morality and the division between the super-rich and the underprivileged. The same year, my Spotify algorithm suggested Dynamite by BTS to me and I really liked it. I was also a casual listener of MORE & MORE by TWICE before I knew who they were (now I'm a fan). As much as I enjoyed these songs, I didn't delve into the rest of these groups' discography until a year later.
Parasite was the first Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition
I was not aware of the gruelling training process that idols endure before they are able to debut (some don't even have the chance to debut, despite years of hard work and dedication). VICE did a really interesting documentary about Ji-hun Kim, who trained with BTS but was cut from the group. The leader of the group, RM (real name: Nam-joon Kim) was the first member of BTS, joining the company at the age of 16 after he was encouraged to audition. Suga joined as a songwriter and producer (real name: Yoon-gi Min). J-hope was the next to join (real name: Ho-seok Jung) whose background was in street dance. Originally, BTS' rapper line were going to debut as a hip-hop group, before it was decided that the group would be composed of three rappers and four vocalists. Jin (real name: Seok-jin Kim) studied acting at Konkuk University and was scouted by a Big Hit staff member. Jungkook (real name: Jung-kook Jeon) is the youngest, and was the fifth to join BTS. When he was 13 he auditioned for a show called Superstar K. He had the opportunity to join some of the biggest entertainment companies, including YG and SM, but decided to go with Big Hit because in his words:
I saw RM and I thought he was amazing.
The next to join was V (real name: Tae-hyung Kim) who attended the audition to support his friend but was told by an executive he should also audition. The final member who made it to debut was Jimin (real name: Ji-min Park). He studied contemporary dance at the Busan High School of Arts and was one of the top performers in the modern dance department. He had the shortest training period of all the members.
If I went far back enough into my YouTube watch history I could pinpoint the exact moment where I got invested in BTS and K-pop as a whole. At first, I just wanted to know their names (famous last words). Through watching interviews and video compilations of them, I learned more about their friendship dynamics, their struggles at the beginning coming from a small entertainment company, and how they experienced mistreatment from hosts and their own peers in the industry. The Korean rapper B-Free told Yoongi and Namjoon (who came from underground rap backgrounds) that they sold out when they became idols. He argued that they could not be considered real artists and made homophobic and sexist remarks about how it was "gay" for them to wear make-up onstage and compared them to girls. Namjoon and J-hope were also criticised by K-pop fans for not looking enough like idols (whatever that means). BTS were scheduled to perform at a music festival in Busan but were removed from the line-up at the last minute. They still performed for fans but were cut from the live broadcast. When Jungkook made a guest appearance on a variety show, he brought burgers and drinks for the cast members. They refused to eat them and accused him of bringing them leftovers. Due to BTS' mistreatment on these types of programmes, they started their own variety show Run BTS, where they play games and take part in challenges. It is so much more wholesome and entertaining to watch.
BTS have spoken openly about their mental health struggles, including living with depression, anxiety and trying to find ways to love themselves. Yoongi had an unpaid job at a recording studio, and often had to make the choice between eating dinner or getting the bus home. While working as a motorcycle delivery driver, he was in an accident and dislocated his shoulder. In 2020, he had to take a break from group activities to get surgery. J-hope (also known as Hobi) is known for his positivity and sunny personality, but he dealt with depression during his trainee days and at one point decided to leave the company. It is not uncommon for idols to be told how they should act, almost like being assigned a personality. Jin was given a concept for how he should act, which resulted in him staying quiet for the first few years of BTS' career. At a certain point, he decided that he should be his authentic self, have fun, and not take life too seriously. From what I've noticed in interviews and public appearances, this shift happened around late 2015 or early 2016. His solo song Epiphany is about accepting the sides to yourself that you would rather not reveal to other people, and embracing who you really are.
In 2017, they launched the LOVE MYSELF campaign with UNICEF. In June this year, they spoke at The Whitehouse about anti-Asian hate crimes which rose significantly during the pandemic. BBC News reported that victims experienced being coughed and spat on, verbal abuse, and physical assault. Noel Quintana, a Filipino American, was slashed in the face during his commute to work. Vicha Ratanapakdee, an elderly Thai American, was pushed to the ground and killed while on his morning walk. Following the murder of George Floyd, BTS made a $1 million donation to Black Lives Matter. Within 25 hours, Armys matched the donation. BTS and Big Hit donated 100 million won to the Sewol Ferry Disaster 416 Family Council in 2017. One of the things I admire about them is that they are responsive to feedback from fans and are willing to grow from past mistakes and educate themselves. Some Armys were disappointed by the objectifying lyrics in the song War of Hormone, released in 2014. Namjoon revealed in a 2021 interview that he consults feminist scholars to review his lyrics.
Personally, I received a lot of criticism regarding misogyny in 2015 and 2016, which led me to get my lyrics reviewed by a women's studies professor. That experience was an opportunity for me to self-reflect and question whether I'd been insensitive to gender equality. I want to do the best I can to take interest in the topic, learn and make improvements.
Much like any entertainment industry, the K-pop industry is flawed. Long before I got into K-pop, I had seen disturbing videos online of idols fainting on stage from exhaustion. There is immense pressure on them to maintain a so-called perfect image, which usually involves staying a certain weight, not stating any opinions that could be perceived as controversial, and always smiling for the cameras and fans for fear of being seen as cold or ungrateful. Unfortunately, this especially applies to female idols. Irene from Red Velvet received backlash when she revealed she had read Kim Ji-young, Born 1982. In response, outraged male fans burned photocards of her. K-pop artists are typically not allowed to openly date, and some companies ban dating altogether. JYP Entertainment has a 3-year dating ban, meaning idols are not allowed to date for 3 years after they debut. Many fans recognise the problems within the industry and do not hesitate to criticise the companies or idols when they feel that they are at fault. There are things I love about K-pop but I can acknowledge the issues within the system. In addition to BTS, there are so many amazing, talented artists. I hate the destructive fan war culture, contrary to some people's beliefs it is possible to like more than one group or artist. Some of my favourites are MAMAMOO, BLACKPINK, BIBI, LOONA and GOT7. Seeing the effect of globalisation in music, film and television is a great thing. Music brings hope, transcends social and cultural barriers, and I don't think I could live without it.
If you made it to the end, thanks for reading 🤗
안녕!
Link to my BTS playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1NNuntE2E7dJLmobONBQVL?si=11367312d517472a
Link to my K-pop playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Qo0cHBuTs9jivAFXls8dJ?si=e8edcdd1fd7f4baf
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