[LEAD]
BTS' worldwide popularity is indeed showing how huge the Korean Wave's cultural impact can be.
The group's economic impact on the Korean economy was announced to be over 5 trillion won (4.2 billion dollars) by the research.
Lim Taewoo reports.
[REPORT]
A Korean supermarket located in downtown London is crowded with foreign customers who are looking for Korean products.
This market first opened in 2011, but they recently opened seven more branches after BTS' popularity in the country resulted as the growth of their sales as well.
[I love naengmyeun (Korean cold noodle), and jajangmyeon (black bean paste noodle). So I tried to cook at home. It's a bit hard, and tteok-bokki (Korean spicy rice cake) of course as well. I started to explore the food more. I got more into the music at the same time.]
There are also a lot of fans who want to visit Korea.
[We are going to Korea this summer, so I am really looking forward to that.]
Like a pilgrimage, the fans who actually have a trip to Korea take their time to visit various places related to BTS.
The restaurant that BTS members often visited during their trainee days became a great tourist attraction.
[Kang Seon-ja/Restaurant Owner: They usually order what BTS used to eat. They order ssambap (rice with vegetable wraps), Bangtan bibimbap (rice with seasoned vegetables and meat), and budae-jjigae (spicy sausage stew) the most.]
Last April, about 10,000 international fans visited Gwangju to attend 'SBS Inkigayo Super Concert'.
[I have been to the Hanbok village, I went to Daegu and then Gwangju, and all those places.]
The annual number of foreign tourists that BTS attracted is estimated to be more than 800,000.
According to recent research, when consumer goods such as clothes and cosmetics are all added, BTS' economic impact is expected to be over 5.5 trillion won (4.6 billion dollars).
[Oh Joon-bum/Hyundai Research Institute: When BTS have a certain drink, the fans also consume the same brand. The ripple effect of imitative consumption (that BTS brings) is relatively high.]
The cultural effect on the global fans to learn Korean language and culture cannot be calculated in monetary term.
(Translated by Yoo Jiwon / Edited by Moon Ji Hwan)
(SBS Star)