A screenshot from BTS’s Arirang teaser showing seven Korean students singing Arirang at Howard University. (Photo credit: BangtanTV/YouTube)
The release of Arirang has sparked a lot of anger.
K-pop powerhouse group BTS is coming back to the pop scene after finishing their required military service, hoping to reconnect with fans through their new release, Arirang. However, a video meant to build excitement has upset many Black fans. So, what happened, and what can we learn from this?
What’s the video and why did it spark controversy?
To build excitement for Arirang, BTS put out an animated teaser that highlights a piece of American-Korean history. The video tells the story of seven Korean students who went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. in 1896. While at Howard, they recorded the unofficial Korean national anthem, the folk song “Arirang,” making it the first time the song was ever recorded.
You can watch the video below.
An article about the video on Howard’s blog, The Dig, cites WETA, which stated that the students “gained notoriety on their first night after stunning the Howard community with a melodious singing performance on campus, which was soon described in a story in the Washington Post.”
Three of the students—Ahn Jeong-Sik, Son Rong, and Lee Hee-Cheol—were invited by an ethnologist to record Arirang on wax cylinders. This became the first known recording of a Korean voice in the U.S. and the first recording of the song anywhere. Today, the recording is kept in the Library of Congress’s archive.
What are people saying about the video?
The key point in this controversy is that Howard University is an HBCU, which stands for Historically Black College or University. HBCUs were created in the 1800s because Black students were not allowed at most colleges in America. Today, most of those colleges are called PWIs, or Predominately White Institutions. HBCUs also welcomed students of any race who were not accepted at PWIs, including Asian students. This welcoming spirit continues today.
Many fans quickly shared their reactions, which are summed up by social media influencer and historian Cheyney McKnight, also known as @notyourmommashistory and @thekpopauntie.
“You can not divorce this story from race. You can’t tell the story because they are staying at Howard University during this time because of segregation and because of racism,” she said. “…It seems like from the information I was able to gather, the community at Howard really fostered them and encouraged them to sing and continue to share their music here in America. …[T]his looks nothing like the images we have [of Howard].”
Benjamin Talton, Ph.D., a Howard history professor and executive director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, supports McKnight’s point about the welcoming spirit of Black people. He told The Dig that Howard’s acceptance of the students reflects the broader Black American community.
“[Howard’s] spirit of internationalism is reflected in moments like 1896, when seven Korean students found a home here,” he said. “This enduring tradition affirms that both Howard and [B]lack America stand as among the world’s most inclusive, accommodating, and accepting communities.”
Looking back at the video, most of the crowd shown is white. There are only a couple of Black people in the scene. But if this event really took place at Howard, the audience would have been mostly Black, with few or no white people present. It would have been a Black crowd watching the students perform.
So why does the video show mostly white people on a Black campus? Many Black fans have pointed out this problem, saying they are disappointed in BTS for spreading misinformation and whitewashing the campus. Some fans have even said they will stop supporting BTS because of this video. Other responses hope that the video can at least be a teaching moment despite its whitewashing.
The controversial image from the Arirang teaser featuring a mostly-white crowd on Howard’s campus. (Photo credit: BangtanTV/YouTube)
First, Howard University itself commented on the controversy: “The video prominently features the iconic Founders Library, the first site at an HBCU to be named a national treasure, which had yet to be constructed. In addition, most of the people depicted in the audience on The Yard are not Black, which belies the institution’s history as one of the country’s foremost colleges with a predominantly Black student body. Though much of the faculty at the time was not Black, the video does elucidate the need for cultural sensitivity and historical accuracy even when intentions are positive.”
The Dig also spoke with Howard student Alexander “Amen” Hong, a Korean-American social media influencer. He talked about how BTS learned from Black musicians as they developed their sound, which I’ve discussed before.
“I’ve actually realized a lot of Black people really love K-pop, because I think a lot of K-pop derives from Black culture anyway, and Black music,” he said. “Just their style, the way they perform, whether it’s in their rap, or whether it’s in R&B. I know BTS came over here when they were younger in 2016, 2017, and they were eager to learn, and the Black community was eager to teach them.”
“…Howard opened doors for us, same way it was open for the Black community,” he continued. “That’s what Howard does. It opens doors for people.”
Hong also made a video where he talked about the controversy and explained why it’s important to look at the inaccuracies in the video.
Junhyuck Han, a Korean international student advisor, also told The Dig that the video is inaccurate. Still, he believes BTS meant well.
“While I am not a music expert, I believe K-pop and Black culture intersect in significant and foundational ways. Many core elements of K-pop are rooted in Black culture, particularly through genres like hip-hop, R&B, and jazz,” said Han. “K-pop artists frequently incorporate rap, breakdancing, and other stylistic influences that originate from Black communities. I believe BTS’s intention in including Howard University was both symbolic and purposeful.”
“By highlighting Howard, they are recognizing a historically significant connection between Korea and one of the most influential HBCUs in the United States,” he continued. “It reflects an effort to honor shared histories of resilience, education, and cross-cultural exchange. I also believe that BTS is using their global platform to elevate meaningful stories and amplify underrepresented narratives. Including Howard allows them to bridge Korean history with Black academic and cultural legacy, while encouraging audiences to reflect on how these communities have supported and influenced one another over time.”
Korean newspaper Kyunghyang Shinmun interviewed Black ARMY member Beverly Lyles, who also runs a BTS-themed Substack. She told the outlet, “I was shocked the moment I saw the trailer.”
“BTS was the source of strength for me after I lost my mother and son to COVID-19,” she said. “Seeing the members care for each other was a great comfort, and watching their growth on YouTube was like a huge gift.” But, she added, “as a Black woman with a family that participated in the civil rights movement, as someone with a history of enslaved ancestors, and as an alumnus of Howard University, I cannot help but point this out.”
She added that “the portrayal of Howard University in the animation is not merely a creative reinterpretation, but insulting.” She also feels BTS’s marketing agency, HYBE, removed Black people from the video under the assumption that making the crowd Black would “make it ‘not too political, not too Black’ in order to target the global market. …Blackness was removed simply because it was uncomfortable for the marketing image.”
“This logic is identical to the structure of ‘Black voices, white faces’ that has been repeated throughout history,” she continued. “Many members of the Black community feel an irony in the fact that content discussing the preservation of Korean culture has erased Black cultural heritage.”
Psychologist Dr. Alfie Breeland Noble, whose family has a history attending Howard, also told the outlet that he was also disappointed by the video, adding that “considering that the background was set less than 50 years after the abolition of slavery, it is even more detached from its essence.”
He hopes HYBE edits the video “and issues an official statement to the African American and Black communities. Sincere actions acknowledging the mistake and showing a commitment to moving forward together would be enough.”
Nikki Williams, who helped create children’s program Bossy Bear, also told Kyunghyang Shinmun that despite her disappointment in the video, “as a fellow entertainment industry professional, the fundamental responsibility lies with HYBE.”
“For example, when producing Bossy Bear, we sought cultural advice and actively incorporated feedback to accurately reflect Korean and Korean-American culture,” she said, explaining how Bossy Bear has a Korean-American character among its cast. “HYBE must also take feedback seriously. The Black fanbase within K-pop is very strong.”
Making lemonade out of lemons: What we can do going forward
The group posing for Arirang press photos. (Photo credit: Big Hit Music/HYBE)
After considering everything, I think BTS and their team missed a chance to explain to Korean and international fans that Black culture and expression are at the heart of K-pop. It would have helped if fans knew that an HBCU welcomed Korean students, helped them succeed, and made history with the Arirang recording.
It also would have meant a lot to Black American fans to see that BTS is still teaching fans about how Black culture shapes their music and careers. Black fans would have felt even more recognized and represented.
Right now, many Black fans feel confused and, in some cases, disappointed. Some have even said they are stepping back from being BTS fans because of the video.
I don’t think BTS, as a group, left this out on purpose. I believe this because, as I wrote before, BTS has learned a lot from their Black American musical peers and elders, and they seem to value those lessons. I don’t think they want their Black fans to feel unwelcome. Still, even unintentional mistakes can hurt, and this one did. It would help if they acknowledged that harm. When it comes to the team behind BTS, I think that’s where the real decisions about the video were made.
Honestly, I don’t know what went into making decisions about the video. From what I’ve seen in the Arirang documentary, BTS has had disagreements with their team about the direction of their music and image. For example, the group wanted to use more Korean lyrics, but the higher-ups thought using English would reach more people. I’ll talk more about that in another article. This doesn’t mean BTS shouldn’t face criticism; I hope they learn from this situation.
HYBE unsuccessfully tried to head off any controversy by adding a disclaimer before the video: “This production may deviate from the actual historical events and does not serve as a formal evaluation or interpretation of any historical event or person.” But this statement doesn’t really solve the problem. Instead, it makes people wonder if the team thought showing more white faces would appeal more to a wider audience than showing Black faces.
In the best case, this controversy is just a careless mistake. At worst, the video is an example of whitewashing that could have been avoided, since Howard University’s history as an HBCU is well known. Either way, it was an unnecessary error by BTS and its management.
The silver lining from this is that, at the very least, people can learn from the history of the controversy brought to light. Not only can international fans learn the true facts about Howard and its position in America, but American fans can learn how Howard embraces all ethnicities that weren’t initially welcomed at PWIs. Howard helped the seven Korean students at the heart of this video become part of history by recording “Arirang.” I didn’t know that before, and I’m glad that I do now.
Looking ahead, I hope BTS has honest talks with each other and their team about how they want to be seen. From what I’ve seen in the documentary, things seemed messy behind the scenes during their comeback, and I think this video is a result of that. There’s never a wrong time to apologize or at least make a thoughtful statement about the controversy. At the very least, I hope they show more care and prove they’ve learned from this in future album releases.
I’ll finish with a statement from another Howard faculty member. Alexander McSwain, an associate professor and coordinator of electronic studio arts at Howard, said that even with the inaccuracies, people can still learn about the connection between Howard, Black culture, and Korea.
“I found myself both intrigued and impressed by the shoutout to Howard and its historical references. At its core, both animation and music are forms of expression mediums that invite interpretation, critique, and conversation. One could argue that without the visibility created by the trailer and accompanying music video, I may have never discovered the Korean connections tied to the university at all. This experience serves as a reminder of the importance of doing your own research. Even when a starting point may seem historically imperfect, it can still act as a catalyst for deeper understanding, because, after all, it is art, and art at its core is a conversation.”
Yes, the video is, as McSwain said, imperfect. For many fans, it feels like another example of the anti-Blackness that’s common in K-pop fandom. But if we can find something positive, maybe this video can be “a catalyst for deeper understanding,” helping fans in America and around the world learn more about Black America’s role in K-pop history.
If the controversy has sparked your interest to learn more about Black American history, try my book, The Book of Awesome Black Americans! Click here to buy.
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