Park Jin-hai primarily focuses on K-dramas, entertainment shows and actor interviews. Beyond that, she also pens articles covering the broader arts scene, with a particular emphasis on classical music, dance and various aspects of lifestyle. Since joining The Korea Times in 2013, she has made significant contributions in the realms of hallyu (Korean wave), industry news and international affairs.
BTS delivers heartening speech at UN
In this photo released by the United Nations, K-Pop band BTS speaks during a meeting focused on youth issues at the United Nations in New York, Monday. K-Pop sensation BTS brought their star power to the United Nations on, telling the world's youth to listen to their inner voice and resist pressure to conform. AFP-Yonhap
By Park Jin-hai
By Park Jin-hai
K-pop superstar BTS took to the UN stage to deliver a speech during the UN General Assembly in New York.
Kim Nam-joon, better known as RM, the band leader, in his seven-minute speech as a youth representative, urged young people to “speak for yourself” at the launch of UNICEF's “Generation Unlimited” campaign aiming to empower and support young people across the world in fulfilling their potential.
News media and music critics around the world reported another history-making moment for the seven-member K-pop band, which has been regarded as already having surpassed the K-pop genre tag on the global music landscape.
“I stopped looking up at the night skies, the stars. I stopped daydreaming. Instead, I just tried to jam myself into the molds that other people made,” said the 24-year-old rapper and songwriter, recalling himself as a little boy. “I began to shut out my own voice, and started to listen to the voices of others. No one called out my name, and neither did I. My heart stopped, and my eyes closed shut.”
He heard a small voice inside himself saying “Wake up, man, and listen to yourself,” but it took a long time for him to hear music calling his real name, the artist said. “Maybe I made a mistake yesterday, but yesterday's me is still me. Today, I am who I am with all of my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow, I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that'll be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become,” he said.
After releasing the Love Yourself albums and launching the 'Love Myself' campaign, RM said they started to hear remarkable stories of how their message helped people overcome their hardships in life and start loving themselves. “We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to speak yourself. I'd like to ask all of you… What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction,” he said.
Jeff Benjamin, Billboard music critic, said the band has always been a good representation of what people their age are going through. “They've talked about everything from politics to female empowerment to mental health issues and things young people these days are going through. Regardless where you are in the world or who you might be interested in musically, there is something you can connect to in that music for sure,” he said.
“BTS has always made a really big point in their careers to always give back to those people that might feel marginalized or that might feel lesser than accepted,” the critic said, noting the band's efforts to look out for marginalized communities. “If you truly love yourself, you're going to spread that positivity, that love and those good feelings. That's how we kind of make a better more positive world that way. BTS from their music to their speeches, to whatever they might share in general, it comes down to their ultimate message. I think that is just as impactful these days especially how connected we are in this world,” he added.
Local music critic Jung Min-jae said in a twitter post, “Their words and actions, regardless of the format, always repeat the same message that has been organically shaped along their own journey, amplifying the sincerity for their message. It was a simple but strong speech.”
Another local critic Kim Young-dae said RM's speech was a speech that would have more impact than speeches by any politicians or world leaders. “People say American pop rules the world. But it is hard for me to come up with names of American musicians or rappers who could deliver a similar message to the youth replacing BTS at the UN at the moment. BTS is the band that represents the world's youth today regardless of different cultures and has its widest support from world music fans.”