Here’s Why North Koreans Think BTS Has A North Korean Member, According To Defectors

When BTS was just starting to gain fame in North Korea, a common misconception about them spread across the country.

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In the most recent episode of AYO‘s “Comment Defenders” series, North Korean defectors Kang Nara and Park Yoo Sung were invited to speak about Hallyu and BTS in North Korea.

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A netizen asked them if North Koreans have the impression that BTS is a performing team of their country.

In North Korea, do people think BTS is a performing team of North Korea? Well, if you think about it, both ‘bulletproof’ and ‘boy scouts’ sound like war and military.

— Netizen comment, “AYO”

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Park Yoo Sung explained that when BTS’s popularity was rising, many people believed that there was a member who came from the North.

In North Korea, when BTS first came out, many people said, ‘There must be a member from North Korea’ or ‘The person who produced BTS must be from North Korea‘.

— Park Yoo Sung

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Kang Nara agreed, further explaining that North Koreans often say “bulletproof”, which is a part of BTS’s name.

In North Korea, people would say words like ‘bulletproof’ a lot. Also, there’s Chosun Boy Scouts in North Korea, so it might come off that way. It sounds friendly.

— Kang Nara

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Knowing how familiar the term “bulletproof” is to North Koreans, it isn’t very surprising that some would think BTS is from their country!

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Learn more about BTS’s popularity in North Korea by watching the full video below.