“Ah, you say we changed? We feel the same.” The destruction and rebirth of BTS

The K-Pop genre has taken the music world by storm, increasing in streams globally by more than 360%. The industry has, since its inception in the early 1990s, introduced new narratives and concepts previously unknown to the Korean public. The modern idea of the “idol” is now a well-known figure to all Korean citizens. This figure has now transformed into myth, not through falsehood, but through what author William Bascom identifies as protagonists of myth, who are not ordinary humans, and who possess a sacred status. Due to their untouchable and unreachable nature, the idol is considered to be a representation of their group, company, and country for all those who immerse themselves in the world of K-pop. And its most recognized group is BTS, whose albums explore different philosophical, and literary concepts; including Map of the Soul: 7, thematically based on Carl Jung’s model of the psyche. In June of 2022, after a free concert, the group announced a hiatus to develop solo projects, and complete the mandatory South Korean military service. This paper aims to prove that BTS’s Jungian studies did not stop at their 2020 album, since during this period of time, each member’s solo work holds what Jung calls the “shadow”, portraying their most imperfect selves. Furthermore, their work on their latest album, Arirang, and all surrounding media, only furthers the idea that BTS’s “2.0” phase is a deconstruction of the Korean modern myth of an ‘idol’, as the seven men strive to become more openly imperfect with fans, and rebuild that sacred concept.