K-pop pioneers BTS’s fans are saddened and teared down as the band announced a break from group musical activities for pursuing solo projects.
However, the shareholders in their company are angry about their decision.
BTS’s decision –
Many of their fan’s in South Korea reacted with dismay to Tuesday’s news.
Moreover, it also triggered speculation about the future band whose songs and messages of youth empowerment have turned them into global stars.
‘I could relate to them as they shed tears and honestly told us how they felt,’ fan Nini Lee told Reuters from a café in Seoul.
Even Kim Young-sun felt sorry about this news and said, ‘Their voice gave me huge strength when I had tough times, and I’m no longer afraid of such headwinds …Now I want to give my voice of courage to them’, during a conversation with Reuters.
Simultaneously, BTS became the first Asian band to win artist of the year at the American Music Awards.
Video message –
Later, Rapper and BTS leader RM published an emotional video on the ninth anniversary of the group and says, he had “felt guilty and afraid” to ask for the rest that he desperately needed.
Some fans also blamed BTS’s management group ‘HYBE’ for pressuring them for new albums and money making opportunities.
Jung Duk-hyun, a South Korean cultural critic mentioned ‘The K-pop and idol industry had long been running on a profit-making system where the stars cannot take a rest even when they burned themselves out’.
However, the unexpected decision of BTS raised anger among investors in HYPE, whose shares dived 25% on Wednesday.
HYPE dropped ‘Dynamite’ but the shareholders have performed poorly in recent months.
Even the company’s chief executive and some BTS members unloaded stock totalling 10billion won in December.
Military exemption bill –
However, a bill pushing for providing military exemption to globally famous artists is pending in parliament, during a long debate on whether BTS deserves similar benefits that sport athletes enjoy.
An analyst at Hana Financial Investment Co. Ltd, Lee Ki-Hoon wrote in a report that BTS lack of public activity including impact of military service could result in 750 billion Won revenue loss in 2023.
