We learn a lot about someone through music — the genre they listen to, the kind of songs that they relate to, etc. And for singer-songwriters, their lyrics are like windows to their soul.
BTS is known for pouring their hearts out to their lyrics. If you want to know more about Jin, J-Hop, RM, Suga, Jimin, V, and Jungkook and their background, all you have to do is listen to their songs. With that said, one particular song inspired their fans (ARMY) to study Korean history.
Since BTS released the song “Ma City” back in 2015, it has been teaching everyone about an important date in Korean history, May 18, thanks to J-Hope‘s lyrics about his hometown Gwangju. And since May 18, 2019, is approaching, South Korean national news program JTBC Newsroom shed light on the track again and discussed how BTS is influencing the world to find out more about Korean history.
“[J-Hope] says to ‘Dial 062-518’. So I tried dialing that number but it doesn’t exist,” reporter Park Sung Tae said. “Likewise, a lot of international fans must have been curious about what those numbers mean.
Although a lot are interested and curious about the topic, not everyone knows how to learn more about it. So the reporter noted that one ARMY with the Twitter handle @BTSARMY_Salon created an educational blog posting in English about the Gwangju May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980. He said, “This is how a lot of international fans have come to know more about the May 18 Democratic Uprising.”
The reporter then explained that with the help of this blog and other helpful links provided within it, international fans of BTS are beginning to understand J-Hope’s lyrics in a more in-depth manner. The fan wrote in the informative blog, “It’s a very important archive of J-Hope’s hometown. Therefore, I believe you can understand a little more about J-Hope and BTS in general.”
The reporter then shared that after learning about the meaning behind J-Hope’s lyrics, some international ARMYs visited the May 18 National Cemetery to commemorate those who lost their lives in the uprising. Since BTS made fans want to learn more about Korean history through their song, many call it as the K-pop group’s power to bring a positive influence into the world.
JTBC Newsroom - "ARMY's 5•18"#BTS #방탄소년단 #BTSSubs @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/dA0NQhsNkH — admirer [slow] (@admiringsuga4) May 16, 2019
