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The big impact BTS members enlisting in the military will have on the Korean economy

AKP STAFF
Posted by Sophie-Ha Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Fortune, an American economic magazine, released an article on October 17 about how South Korea will be missing out on opportunities to earn billions of dollars with BTS's military enlistment.

Fortune cited a report published in 2018 by the Hyundai Research Institute and stated, "BTS was contributing more than $3.6 billion to the South Korean economy every year—equivalent to the contribution of 26 midsize companies."

According to the magazine, Hyundai Research Institute revealed that BTS was responsible for 1 out of 13 tourists who visited South Korea in 2017 and was responsible for an estimated 1.1 billion USD from merchandise and cosmetics in one year.

The magazine explained, "The band’s commercial success has also lined the pockets of its members. Collectively, BTS had a net worth of $50 million by 2020, according to Forbes. As well as contributing wealth to South Korea, the group has proved its ability to rock the country’s financial markets."

Fortune explained, "Between 2014 and 2023, analysts projected BTS would have contributed 41.8 trillion won ($29.4 billion) to the South Korean economy if the band maintained its popularity." Around the same time, the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute reported, "If BTS normally holds concerts in Korea during the 'post-COVID' period, the economic ripple effect per BTS performance will reach from 619.7 billion KRW (~435 million USD) to 1.2207 trillion KRW (~856 million USD)."


According to HYBE's announcement that BTS will be enlisting starting with member Jin, the group aims to restart group activities in 2025. The HYBE CEO Park Ji Won explained in a letter to shareholders, "In the short term, the members are scheduled for individual activities until the first half of next year. Also, fans will continue to be able to enjoy various BTS content that will be recorded beforehand."

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KpopTrash1999
KpopTrash19991,826 pts Tuesday, October 18, 2022 12
Tuesday, October 18, 2022

I am glad that bts will enlist because otherwise people will keep hating on them that they receive special treatment... But the thing is that bts has promoted kpop/korea internationally much more than any gold medalist has ever done... They have literally redefined the western beauty standards and made Asians desirable.

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MikmikA
MikmikA15 pts Tuesday, October 18, 2022 1
Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Reading the comments here and as a non-Korean/outsider and a nonKpop/BTS fan, it does seem like their own countrymen are oblivious to their contribution to their country’s culture and economy, which is sad. Sorry to burst many people’s bubble but FYI while many claim other Kpop or kdrama celebrities are famous, it is not to the extent that BTS has achieved and most people in many parts of the world didnt care much about those until the BTS global phenomenon. More importantly, BTS is already known to significantly impact the country’s GDP in many ways other than tourism, which no other Kpop artist has done (yes, not even this EXO or Big Bang, so haters gonna hate but those are the cold hard facts). AND they have significantly contributed to address many political, racial, and cultural issues worldwide, which no other diplomat or celebrity has done. What they do impacts not only Koreans but all Asians, and this alone should warrant exemption so they can further those cause. It seems people ignore these facts and are not appreciative of what they’ve done, which is disappointing.

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