South Korean Septet Bangtan Sonyeondan, also known as BTS, showed their prowess as their country’s pride at the American Music Awards 2021. The band made grabbed major awards, being the first Korean act to win Artist of the Year. The band won Favorite Pop Duo/Band and bagged the Favorite Pop Song with their hit song Butter.
South Korean President Moon Jae-In sent his congratulations on Twitter through @TheBlueHouseKR. The Republic World’s article roughly translates the message below:
“I would like to send congratulations and thank BTS for winning the AMA Grand Prize. Last month, the US global think-tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) held an unusual conference on the theme of ‘Korea’s soft power.’
At the conference, world-renowned scholar Joseph Nye, the founder of the concept of ‘soft power, praised South Korea for showing the world’s most dynamic soft power by combining unprecedented economic success and vibrant democracy. It means Korean culture is dominating the world, and it is also showing its strength in national character and diplomacy. BTS’ Grand Prize at the AMA this year confirmed that once again.
The news of this conference was only partially reported before, and the reason why I’m introducing it again is that I remembered what Joseph Nye added. He said this, ‘Even though there is no country has been more successful than South Korea over the past 60 years, so many Koreans think they are weak and lagging behind. That affects their optimism and creativity.’ What do you think, everyone? Don’t you think it’s worth having confidence and pride now?”
BTS replied through their Twitter handle, which through Google Translate said, “President, thank you for congratulating me on winning the AMA. We are also proud of the fact that Korean popular music has made meaningful achievements in the global mainstream music market. In the future, we expect that our culture and artists in more diverse fields will capture the hearts of people all over the world!”
BTS also secured another nomination at the Grammys 2022 as best pop duo/group, which received backlash. Their hit song Butter and album BE broke several records, and they even made it to the famous Guinness World Records. The Grammys was scathingly roasted with how they introduced BTS as the presenter for their nominees and how they treated other nominees.
People are questioning if any bands or people like BTS became their country’s pride, representing the UN and even touching the hearts of hundreds of millions of people to only receive a measly nomination. The quality of their works is exceptionally high, and their records are unmatched. Hence, as the Grammys milk attention through BTS and ARMYs and continue to lose relevance, the band continues to conquer barriers and break charts, being their only competition in the field.
