K-pop has been helping to popularize "Hallyu" or Korean Wave in different countries and boy band BTS said they are happy that they have encouraged fans to take interest in Korean language and culture.
The influential idol group has legions of fans in and outside Korea, especially on social media. Currently, they have 12.3 million followers on Twitter while the Big Hit Entertainment channel on YouTube has 8.7 million subscribers.
Jin said they are happy to see fans learning Korean and become involved in Korean culture.
"When we go abroad to meet our fans, a lot of them tell us that they learned Korean so that they could speak to us when we met. When I see fans studying Korean and trying to learn more about Korean culture, it makes me think that we were able to introduce Korea to more people, and I feel proud," he explained.
Jungkook narrated that once he had an interaction with a fan when he posted a cover of Lee Hi's "Breathe" online.
"I sang the song to [comfort] both myself and our fans, and one fan wrote in the comments, 'I was going to give up on everything today, but instead I'll try to start over.' I was grateful that we were able to give our fans strength through even a small action," he said.
According to Jimin, her cousin is a BTS fan "so my aunt told her that if she studied hard and did well in school, I'd give her a CD and talk to her on the phone. She's been first place in her entire school ever since."
Because of Hallyu, thousands of fans have visited Korea to see concerts, buy K-pop related items and other souvenirs and visit places.
Recently, BTS has been placed second in the brand reputation rankings for Korean boy bands in January.
