BTS RM’s Unexpected Answer When Faced With Tricky Question About K-Pop Becomes A Hot Topic

7 hours ago 4

He did not hold back.

Koreaboo

5 minutes ago

BTS’s RM is once again earning widespread praise… not for a stage performance or a new track, but for his honest and nuanced response during a previous interview that has recently gone viral.

His thoughtful response to a difficult question about the K-Pop industry has gained over 30,000 views and hundreds of comments on TheQoo, becoming a trending topic.

When asked about the notoriously intense K-Pop trainee system, RM gave an unexpectedly candid answer.

Interviewer: K-pop stars go through years of intense training under a highly competitive survival system, and even after debut, they continue to push themselves to the limit. What are your thoughts on this system?

RM: My company doesn’t like it when I answer questions like this, because I do acknowledge parts of it. Some reporters are going to write headlines like, “RM calls it a horrible system that destroys young people!” But I think that system has, in its own way, played a role in shaping this unique industry. A lot has improved over time, too, things like contract terms and training methods have changed significantly for the better.

Later in the interview, RM was asked whether the pressure for perfection and competitiveness so common in K-Pop reflected Korean culture. His response added further depth to the conversation and earned him tons of praise from netizens.

Interviewer: Is the youthfulness of K-Pop, the obsession with perfection, and the constant tension something unique to Korean culture?

RM: Westerners don’t understand. Korea is a country that was invaded, devastated, and then divided in two. Just 70 years ago, we had nothing. We were a country that needed help from the IMF and the UN. But now, we’re a nation the whole world is watching. How was that even possible? How did this happen? It’s because people worked like crazy to move forward. Then people from countries like France or the UK, nations that colonized others for centuries, come here and say things like, “Wow… you guys are way too hard on yourselves. Life in Korea is so stressful!”

But those things are what it takes to make it. And they’re also what make K-Pop so captivating. Sure, there’s a gray area when it comes to judgment, but anything that happens too fast or too intensely is bound to come with side effects.

It might be frustrating that Spotify lumps everything we do under ‘K-pop,’ but the effect is undeniable. It’s a premium label, a seal of quality built on the achievements of those who came before us.

His words are now being widely praised for their honesty, depth, and insight into not just K-Pop, but Korean culture as well.

“As expected, he’s my president.”
“RM has always been consistently likable…”
“‘A label that guarantees the quality earned by those who came before us.’ Wow… what an amazing line.”
“Someone, please, hurry up and discharge my president from the military.”
“That last sentence really hit me in the heart…”