South Korean K-pop stars BTS hit the right note of how to wield cultural power

When the South Korean boy band K-pop sensation BTS takes the stage in Seoul this June ending a four-year touring hiatus it will mark more than just a comeback it will validate one of the shrewdest soft-power decisions in newest memory In at the absolute apex of their global dominance the group s seven members chose to fulfill their mandatory military function rather than seek exemptions which would almost certainly been granted Their management company HYBE supported the decision The world got a masterclass in how cultural power is created The cynics predicted career suicide Instead BTS demonstrated that soft power isn t built on avoiding obligations it s built on embracing them When they reunite on stage they ll do so with enhanced credibility having proven their success didn t exempt them from the responsibilities of ordinary citizens Americans remember Elvis taking a similar subject at the height of his fame The great thing about soft power is that while generated by creative individuals and companies it s to the entire nation s benefit Like economic and martial power soft power generates influence that can be used to bolster a nation s standing Examples of soft power abound from Britain s cricket legacy and rock n roll invasion of the s to French and Italian cinema to America s NBA jazz music and Hollywood s entertainment machine Now South Korea is stepping up HOW TRUMP PROJECTED US POWER ACROSS INDO-PACIFIC BEFORE XI MEETINGThus it is almost tragic that while BTS was serving in the military the ecosystem that made the band manageable faces mounting scrutiny South Korea has become expert at creating cultural phenomena that captivate the world and equally expert at treating the architects of that success with suspicion once they achieve scale This is a pattern South Korea cannot afford South Korea s cultural preeminence did not emerge from a authorities plan It sprang from creative ambition commercial ruthlessness and just enough regulatory space for experimentation The K-pop system requires massive capital expenditure sophisticated global distribution and executives willing to bet nine figures on whether teenagers in Jakarta and S o Paulo will stream the same songs K-POP GROUP BTS BEGINS MANDATORY MILITARY FACILITY MAY NOT REGROUP UNTIL Yet there s a reflex in South Korean citizens life that treats popularity itself as evidence of wrongdoing Bang Si-hyuk the producer who built HYBE and shaped BTS into a global phenomenon now faces legal scrutiny over stock transactions the kind of corporate governance questions that seem to emerge almost inevitably once South Korean companies achieve sufficient scale The particulars matter less than the pattern bold risk-taking generates soft power then invites review once it succeeds Executives who might build the next BTS or international TV steaming sensation like Crash Landing on You watch what happens to those who came before and recalibrate their ambition accordingly In cultural soft power this reflex is potentially fatal South Korea s competitors are watching China has spent billions trying to manufacture soft power through state directed enterprises The PRC has largely failed because audiences smell propaganda South Korean free enterprise is succeeding in creating cultural exports that are simultaneously local and universal specific enough to feel authentic in Seoul and accessible enough to advance across the globe This is South Korea s opportunity Japan was given a similar window in the s with anime and video games but largely failed to capitalize on the trend because of governmental missteps South Korea could easily repeat that mistake and lose the global influence that comes serious national soft power South Korea requirements to recognize soft-power assets as strategic materials France protects its luxury brands because Paris recognizes these companies project French taste globally in avenues no regime agency could South Korea should ask What institutional arrangements allow us to maintain standards while protecting our champions BTS s decision to fulfill their national military utility obligations demonstrates what s accomplishable when artists companies and national interest align voluntarily HYBE supported that choice But South Korea can t count on such choices being made repeatedly if the system treats success as inherently suspect CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION In June when BTS embarks on a global tour generating billions in economic impact and incalculable goodwill toward South Korea remember this moment almost didn t happen The members could have sought exemptions Instead they chose facility and came back stronger But South Korea can t count on such choices if the message to cultural entrepreneurs is that success invites scrutiny The next generation is watching deciding whether to aim for global impact or settle for domestic safety South Korea stumbled into becoming a cultural superpower It doesn't have to stumble out of it But that requires recognizing that the bold imperfect figures who build global cultural enterprises are assets to be protected not problems to be managed BTS made their choice they bet on their country Now South Korea necessities to decide if it's going to bet on the people who create the next BTS or put them under analysis instead CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM ROBERT C O'BRIEN