Posted : 2021-01-19 09:01
Updated : 2021-01-20 10:20
Members of K-pop juggernaut BTS speak at the virtually held 75th United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 23, 2020, delivering a message of hope amid the COVID-19 pandemic. / Courtesy of UNICEF
By Park Han-sol
The expanded role of K-pop artists from providers of entertainment content to voices of sociopolitical activism has come under the spotlight as the genre becomes more mainstream each day, most recently evidenced by megastar group BTS first-ever Grammy nomination last November.
The idols discussion topics have extended to various areas including climate change, public health, racial discrimination and animal rights.
The presence of K-pop artists in socially relevant matters became more apparent in the summer of 2020 when BTS posted We stand against racial discrimination on its official Twitter account with the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter and donated 1.2 billion won ($1 million) to the Black Lives Matter Global Network