Korean official criticised for seeking 'next BTS' during group's military hiatus

The South Korean government is reportedly planning to create a 'K Content Cultural Complex' backed by a 5 trillion won (over USD 3 billion) policy finance initiative. This effort aims to uncover the "new BTS" and a "second Parasite." According to a recent Seoul Newspaper report, the vice minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism faced significant backlash for mentioning the popular K-pop group currently serving in the military. The complex is expected to become a landmark for K Content by 2035.

Given BTS's undeniable global impact, the South Korean government is dedicated to fostering the next generation of K-Pop talent. The seven-member band—comprising Jin, Suga, Jimin, RM, Taehyung, J-Hope, and Jungkook—has significantly contributed to promoting the country's culture and tourism. 

Emphasising their role as cultural ambassadors, the first vice minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Jeon Byeong Geuk, recently unveiled plans to support the development of new musicians to parallel BTS' success, "We will support the entire cycle of musician development for capable small and medium-sized agencies to discover the next BTS."

The government official's mention of BTS sparked a heated debate. BTS fans (ARMYs) were outraged, while other online users (netizens) perceived it as an insult to other active K-pop bands, feeling they were being depicted as inferior due to the establishment of the "BTS standard."

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According to the government outlet, the administration aims to achieve a content export target of $25 billion (approximately 34.5 trillion won) by 2027: "The government announced the K Contents Strategy to Become one of the Four Global Powerhouses."

"At this point, they are obsessed with finding the next BTS...There is no next BTS!!", a netizen commented. A second fan wrote, "The fact they are still looking for the next BTS is a slap to the active Kpop groups because you are basically telling them that they failed to reach the 'BTS standard' and no matter what they do, it will never be good enough for the higher-ups and government."

This isn't the first time the idea of finding the "next BTS" has been discussed in government circles, driven by the group's significant economic impact on the country. In 2020, during a press conference, a journalist inquired about the possibility of a "next BTS." Jin and Jimin responded, "In fact, we would also need time to think about this. We used to think of our role models and desired to be artistes. But by walking through our own path instead of following their directions, we could discover our own way. We believe in ourselves but also our next juniors."