“They Asked If I Was From BTS” — K-Pop Idol Reflects On His Fading Popularity

A K-Pop idol looked back on a past when he felt anxious about his fading popularity. Recently, a video titled “Music Festival is Just an Excuse” was posted on YouTube. In the video, Jung Yonghwa recalled a time when he was actively promoting with CNBLUE, saying, “Performing alongside celebrities I used to watch as a student made me feel like, ‘Wow, I’ve made it.’” Jung Yonghwa, who was also active overseas, shared his experience of enjoying a festival in California for about ten days. He said, “I drove for about 20 hours there. I didn’t use social media at all.” When Joo Woo Jae asked, “Then what did you do for those 20 hours?” Jung replied, “I listened to music and had small talk. Although my English isn’t great, I just pushed myself to communicate.” He then added with a laugh, “When they asked me, ‘What kind of person are you?’ I said ‘an artist,’ and they asked if I was from BTS.” For him, who once toured overseas nonstop, standing in front of audiences who didn’t know him again became a new stimulus. Jung Yonghwa said, “I used to do nonstop overseas tours, but now a lot of people don’t know me.” He confessed, “I participated in a festival with the heart of a rookie two years ag...