BTS: K-Pop's Social Conscience

As any K-pop fan would uncomfortably admit, sometimes it's hard to get a handle on the personalities of a group's various members. It's not their fault: In the K-pop industry, the slightest "slip-up" (like, say, an imperfect Twitter photo or the way you flip your hair) will earn a singer loads of hateful online comments that typically translate more rapidly to the Internet-obsessed general public. Most Korean pop stars are trained to give very formal answers in interviews, and sing about safe topics—first loves, parties, break-ups—to stay as much in the good favor of a society that banned PSY's "Gentleman" video because kicking a traffic cone was deemed "abuse of public property." These obstacles are particularly tough for international fans trying to get on board with K-pop but are used to the bombastic personalities of artists like Kanye West, Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj.

While it will be a long time until Korea's entertainment industry gets to a point of Western outspokenness, young boy band BTS is a shining example of a group that's finding a way to speak honestly about topics they deem important, even in a conservative society. And their importance to the genre is cemented with the release of their new album, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2.