BTS voted the most popular Koreans and their boss Bang Si-hyuk the most influential creative
- BTS took almost half the local vote and 65 per cent of the overseas vote in a survey about South Korea’s general image
- Their creator was voted the most influential creative, followed by video artist Paik Nam-june
By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop sensations BTS and the creator of the boy band, Bang Si-hyuk, have played the most pivotal roles in promoting South Korea, according to a recent survey of opinion leaders, including diplomats.
The Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI) conducted the survey of 341 Koreans and 265 foreigners from March 25 to May 24, asking respondents about South Korea’s general image.
More than 48 per cent of the Korean nationals and 65 per cent of the foreigners said BTS were the Koreans they most wanted to meet.
The seven-piece band edged out Son Heung-min, a striker for England football club Tottenham Hotspur, who ranked second.
Bang, the founder and co-CEO of Big Hit Entertainment that represents BTS, was singled out as South Korea’s flagship “creator” by 55 per cent of the Koreans and 40 per cent of the foreigners.
Korean American video artist Paik Nam-june came second.
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“It seems K-pop has grabbed much attention thanks to BTS’ musical feats,” a CICI spokesperson said. “The team hit the top of the Billboard 200 chart three times.”
The Koreans and foreigners said South Korea needed more fresh and diverse cultural content. They singled out food as the most competitive Korean content, despite the rise of K-pop.
Information technology (IT) devices such as mobile phones were the first thing that came to mind when they thought of South Korea.
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The participants’ favourite place in South Korea was Seoul’s Gangnam district. They also said they were fond of the combination of traditional and modern culture in the South Korean capital.
