BTS’ RM urges world leaders to support creativity at APEC CEO Summit

At the APEC CEO Summit, BTS leader RM became the first K-pop artist to address the APEC event as a keynote speaker, delivering a speech in English that wove together his personal journey, the global rise of K-pop and a direct appeal to policymakers: invest in the arts and the people who make them. Speaking before government and business leaders from across the Asia-Pacific, RM, whose real name is Kim Nam-joon, began by reflecting on BTS’ early struggles to gain recognition outside Korea. “BTS first started to go outside Korea about 10 years ago,” he said. “And back then, we didn’t dream of what we see today.” He recounted the steep cultural barriers the group faced when trying to bring their Korean-language music into the English-speaking world. “Trying to get on mainstream media through our music was like doing an experiment and a huge challenge. It was a test to see if music in Korean can work on the global stage,” he said. "When we said we are artists from Korea, they didn’t ask us about our music. They asked, 'Are you from North Korea or South Korea?' 'Where on eartWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times