In a recent episode of 'You Quiz on the Block,' HYBE Chairman Bang Si Hyuk was invited as a special guest, where he talked extensively about his successful journey in shaping the chart-topping group BTS.

During the show, Bang Si Hyuk shared how BTS first started to gain attention in the States. He began by stating, "Seven members all had their unique talent and skills and I felt a sense of responsibility to do something with these seven kids with such talent." He added, "People have this misunderstanding that BTS didn't do well in the beginning but BTS did really well from the beginning. It's a good story to tell when people say 'They didn't do well at first but they suceeded in the U.S. and came back.' But that's wrong, they did really well and won all the Rookie of the year awards."

Yoo Jae Suk asked, "Was there a moment you felt that BTS's popularity was extraordinary?" To which Bang Si Hyuk responded, "There were many times. In 2014, they were an opening performer for K-con in LA. And the Los Angeles Times featured BTS in the headline of their article. At that time, I felt 'this is something different,' so I shared it with the people at the company. But they thought I was overreacting."

He continued, "They attributed my enthusiasm to previous setbacks and because of my managerial role within the company. In response, I decided to take my hands off (from the company). 2015 was the biggest turning point for BTS with their album 'The Most Beautiful Moment in Life.' From that point on, I knew this was different. I knew we had to test the waters in the States. I felt it was the time to start rowing when the water was high."

Bang Si Hyuk then said, "The company rejected my request and then BTS released 'Fire' and the response was really good. We looked at the Google search results and I felt that if we keep going, then we can have the same popularity as One Direction when they were at their peak."

Bang Si Hyuk revealed, "Then I think destiny lead us. I think it would be too arrogant of me if I were to say, I am the one who made BTS. After 'Fire,' we prepared for the world tour. We prepared a year and a half for the tour. So we used a strategy to use fame. If you think about it, there are cases where someone says someone is famous but they don't know why that person is famous. So we prepared this with staff in the U.S." 

He continued, "If we spread the news of BTS' popularity in South America and North America, when BTS lands in NYC, then people would start to wonder who they are even if they don't know who they are. We ran TV and radio promotions. So people in NYC would want to know who BTS are. When BTS went to LA, people didn't really know BTS, but people were saying that they were popular, so many celebrities came to their concert, and this spread through social media."

Korean netizens were impressed with Bang Si Hyuk's ability to foresee the popularity of BTS and use it as a strategy. However, netizens also commended BTS members' loyalty to the company.

They commented, "The seven members' good character played a big role.  They didn't sue the company just because they gained popularity in the United States, nor did they resort to drugs, including marijuana, just because they became famous. They didn't engage in sexual offenses. They didn't fight among themselves, bragging about their success and getting into trouble, or go somewhere and make mistakes. Parents in the United States are secretly strict and conservative when it comes to raising their children. When it comes to liking K-pop, they worry that their child might be a nerd, so thanks to the wholesome message BTS conveys, they became a culture that American kids can enjoy," "They were really lucky," "I also think they were born to become stars," and "BTS members went through so much. They had so much to contemplate about and went through a lot of hardships to the point the members wanted to quit."