[Anchor]

BTS, who have reaffirmed their global popularity through a world tour following their comeback this past March, and their fandom, ARMY, were the subjects of an academic conference held in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province. Scholars unanimously agreed that the BTS phenomenon holds significant academic research value, regardless of the group's current popularity.

Reporter Kim Gyeong-hui has the story.

[Reporter]

In a documentary capturing the comeback process of the group BTS, the members revealed the immense pressure they felt returning after about three years.

However, BTS had fans who were waiting for them.

[Bao Nguyen / Director: It struck me that this journey is like the Odyssey. BTS is like Odysseus, preparing to leave for the battlefield of military service, and in some ways, ARMY (the fandom) is like Penelope, desperately waiting for their return.]

Since their comeback performance at Gwanghwamun in Seoul on March 20, the BTS world tour 'Arirang' has been a success, selling out every show.

It is estimated that the tour's revenue for the two months since it began in April has exceeded 300 billion won.

The director of the BTS documentary says that the value of BTS cannot be explained solely by their achievements in the music industry.

[Bao Nguyen / Director: BTS is a presence that transcends their music, covering a wide range of topics. For example, globalization, masculinity, fandom...]

A global academic conference discussing the BTS phenomenon and the fandom ARMY from these diverse perspectives was held in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.

The conference, which began in the UK in 2020 and was held annually, was suspended during the members' military service and resumed this year alongside their comeback.

[Robin Fidler / Professor at Palm Beach State College, USA: (I have students choose songs and connect the lyrics) to mythology and philosophy, and BTS is the most deeply and strongly connected to academic, mythological, and psychological works.]

[Despina Kakoudaki / Professor at American University, USA: The very fact that BTS has survived as idols, artists, and performers until now is in itself a 'positive influence.' I think this is changing expectations for K-pop artists and perceptions of the status of idol groups in the past K-pop industry.]

This year, under the theme of 'Next-Generation Hallyu and BTS,' participants reflected on our own cynical gaze toward non-mainstream cultures, even while cheering for the construction of a global fandom.

[Lee Ji-haeng / Professor at Jeonbuk National University: I believe that the industrial opportunities and cultural sustainability of Hallyu all depend on how marginalized and isolated bodies around the world discover and connect with each other within the 'Hallyu' platform, and how they expand an affective network of caring for one another.]

Participants noted that academic research on BTS holds great significance independent of the group's popularity, and they predicted that related research will continue across various fields in the future.

(Video coverage: Park Hyun-chul | Video editing: Park Na-young | Video source: HYBE, Netflix)

Reported by Kim Gyeong-hui | Produced by SBS Digital News