BTS101: BTS (방탄소년단, Bangtan Sonyeondan), has sold over 32 million albums and is considered the biggest boy band group in the world today. The official fandom of BTS is called ARMY and the fans declared purple as BTS’ color, thus the term BORAHAE (Bora being the Korean word for Purple. “Borahae,” or “I Purple You,” means “I’ll love you till the end of days” since purple is the last color of the rainbow).
This South Korean septet debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment now HYBE Corporation. According to a Forbes Magazine article, this K-Pop supergroup grossed $170 million on the road in 2019, more than any American band except Metallica. The band has been so influential that they reportedly brought about $3.6 billion to the South Korean economy.
Due to their massive popularity and influence, they became South Korea’s envoy to the United Nations in 2018 and visited the White House in 2022 to speak with President Joe Biden about anti-Asian hate crimes and Asian representation – a feat that no other Kpop idol or boy band in the world has ever done before in history. Recently, they became ambassadors for the World Expo 2030 Busan, Korea, which added to their many accolades as the group turned nine this year.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: APRIL 2022
Fresh from their four-night sold-out Permission To Dance concert in Los Angeles, California in late 2021 (Nov 27-28 & December 1-2), the Grammy nominated Kpop idols immediately announced in February of the following year that they will be headed to Las Vegas for another concert leg (on April 8-9 & 15-16) in time for the Grammy Awards (where BTS is nominated). It was also the first time that HYBE rolled out its plan to make it a huge-scale event.
“We will turn the city hosting the concert into a festival. It will be like the Olympics, a festival by and for BTS and their fans. We will develop this festival in stages beginning with certain tour stops.” — Lenzo Yoon
Although they did not win the Grammy’s for best pop duo/group performance category for “Butter,” the success of their concert was already a testament to their fans’ undying support. Not only that, the whole city of Las Vegas turned purple, as if an equivalent to the red carpet welcome for the KPOP Superstars, in recognition of their immense popularity and influence.
Las Vegas turned in purple and almost of the Billboard too with the phrase “Borahaegas” ©Telepathyksj,lbartsch, abcdefvssi
Many hotels and businesses in Las Vegas took advantage of this opportunity by offering BTS-themed hotel rooms, fans can dine on BTS’ favorite Korean dishes like kimchi fried rice and jajangmyeon at Mandalay Bay with a menu by Michelin-starred chef Akira Back. There’s also a photography exhibit, a concert after-party, and a fountain and lights show set to BTS’ music at the Bellagio (see photos below).
In the end, the overall economic impact of the four BTS concerts in Las Vegas is estimated to be around $162 million, according to South Korean news outlet Arirang TV.
BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA: OCTOBER 2022
On 19th of July 2022, BTS was appointed as an honorary public relations ambassador for the 2030 World Expo. The World Expo is held every five years and attracts millions of visitors to the host city during its six-month duration.
After it was announced that BTS will headline a global FREE concert on October 15, 2022 at Busan Asiad Main Stadium to support their country’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, flights have been added to accommodate travelers, and additional trains and buses will run on the day of the concert, and the city will receive “borahaefication” in honor of the group.
Source: https://twitter.com/BusanCityGovt/
Click the weverse link for more details about the BTS Concert in Busan on October 15 – HERE.
THE BTS EFFECT: BORAHAEFICATION – CITIES TURN PURPLE
The overwhelming economic effect of BTS wherever they go is simply undeniable. From coffee shops or restaurants that they visit, to cities they had concerts with, they all flourish with a booming business due to the massive support of their fans. No other idol groups had this much effect on local economies even before.
Even some of the airport around the world during their Vegas concert joined the twitter challenge by posting photos of their airports in purple lights, playing BTS songs, and more. That’s a massive ripple effect impacting major industries globally.
According to a new article from Naver in 2020, the average BTS fan spends over $1,400 on the group – from merchandise goods, concert tickets, and music albums. Others may consider this as lavish fanatism but this phenomenon could somehow be summed up as ARMYs giving back for the inspiration and motivation that BTS has given them.
