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The Korea Singers Association president has sent an open letter to BTS asking them to reconsider breaking up.
President Lee Ja Yeon addressed the letter to both BTS and its HYBE label. “I’m overcome by my fear and concern that the ‘BTS Hallyu Wave,’ a movement possessing the greatest cultural soft power that the world has ever witnessed, will vanish soon,” the letter states.
“In the years leading up to the birth of this movement, it was believed that finding the ‘Next Beatles’ would be a very difficult achievement, and now we have arrived at a point where it is difficult to hope for the ‘Next BTS’ to emerge any time soon. Thus, there is great concern that the heartbeat of Hallyu will cease.”
The Korea Singers Association president Lee Ja Yeon then asks, “Please, will you reconsider the decision to go on a group hiatus, for the future of South Korea’s music industry?”
“If BS goes away, the missionaries of Hallyu and Korean culture, ARMYs, also go away. South Korea’s tourism industry will suffer, and it will be difficult to hope for a future for South Korea as a hub of culture in Asia,” she continues.
“The special laws allotted to the sports and the classical music and arts industries for mandatory military service must be extended to popular culture as well. The need for attention and action regarding this existing issue is pressing. The government and the national assembly of South Korea must pay mind to this matter so that the Hallyu boom can continue to spread, and BTS can continue to promote actively as a group. Please pursue a revision of existing military service laws.”
After the release of the BTS album Proof, Big Hit Music announced the group would begin a new chapter. Part of that new chapter is breaking off to pursue solo careers. Their solo projects are reportedly set to be released via Universal Music Group’s Geffen Records. Meanwhile, HYBE stock plummeted nearly 25% after the announcement, losing nearly $2 billion in value in the process.