2018 will be remembered as the year that ushered in a new era in K-Pop thanks to the worldwide frenzy brought on by boy group, BTS.
The phenomenal 7-member boy band took the world by storm this year, coming second on the U.S. Billboard’s year-end chart for top artists in the group division, and grabbing major awards, including the Top Social Artist Award at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards and the Favorite Social Artist award at the 2018 American Music Awards.

In May, the boy group topped the Billboard 200 chart with their album "Love Yourself: Tear” and the album's title song "Fake Love" placed tenth on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June. Both feats were a first for South Korean singers.

Then in September, the band topped the Billboard 200 chart for the second time with their album "Love Yourself: Answer.



Their world tour that ensued prove enough to confirm the group’s global stardom.

In early October, BTS performed in Citi Field in Queens, New York, becoming the first Korean performers to put on a stadium show in the U.S. Their world tour lasted for 52 days, drawing more than 300-thousand in North America and Europe alone.

And in mid-October, the group was featured on the cover of Time magazine after making it onto Time's Next Generation Leaders list. At home, the boys received an order of cultural merit for their contribution to promoting the Korean pop culture wave and the Korean language overseas. They were the youngest honorees of the medal.

Thanks to BTS’ phenomenal achievements, efforts to further advance K-Pop on the world stage, and particularly in the U.S., have gained more momentum.


Photo : Yonhap News, KBS News

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