[Editorial] From "BTS Arirang" to Global K-Heritage... Why the World Is Not Uncomfortable with BTS's Korean DNA

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Original article : Aju News

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When BTS put "Arirang" at the forefront of their work, some people expressed concern. "Isn't that too Korean?" "Will international fans be able to understand it?" These were common questions. However, the outcome was the exact opposite. The world did not feel uncomfortable, nor did it feel any sense or distance. Instead, it accepted the choice naturally. This reaction was not a coincidence. It offers an important clue to how the global cultural market truly operates. 

In the global market, "tradition" is often seen as a risk factor. It is thought to require explanation, invite misunderstanding, and create barriers due to its unfamiliarity. As a result, much content has tended to dilute tradition, package it in modern forms, and attach detailed explanations. Korean content followed this formula for a long time as well—revealing its identity, but adjusting it to a level that felt "easy" to understand. 

BTS did not follow this formula. 

They did not explain Arirang. They did not lecture audiences on its historical background. Instead, they placed only its emotional rhythm on the stage. This difference was decisive. What the world embraced was not "Korean traditional knowledge," but emotional patterns that Korean society has repeated for generations. 

The power of Arirang does not lie in a specific narrative. The song does not describe particular events. Instead, it repeatedly evokes emotions of separation and movement, loss and reunion. These emotions are not unique to Korea. They cross borders, transcend languages, and have been shared by humanity across time. BTS simply performed these universal emotions through a Korean rhythm. The world did not perceive this as "foreign culture," but as encountering familiar feelings again, expressed in a different language. 

At this point, BTS's approach clearly diverges from how Japan and China tend to use tradition. Japan's tradition-based content often presents its worldview and rules first, assuming that understanding must come before engagement. China's cultural nationalist content is even more direct, emphasizing history and legitimacy to strong assert, "This is our culture." Both approaches have achieved success, but they also tend to create tension and distance. 

BTS made a different choice. They did not assert their Koreanness, nor did they try to prove it. They simply did not hide it. This attitude made the world feel at ease. Tradition without coercion, culture that does not demand explanation, and narratives that leaves room for interpretation—these are the conditions under which tradition resonated in the global era. 

Another reason the world was not uncomfortable with BTS's Koran DNA lies in their "position." BTS is no longer a cultural actor if the margins. They are figures with influence at the center of global popular culture. When someone at the center speaks in their own language, it is not seen as exotic or unusual, but as a standard in itself. Culture always operates alongside power. BTS did not "introduce" Korean culture; they "used" it from the center.