BTS and their powerful fandom ARMY, together with global scholars who have examined this cultural journey academically, culminated their scholarly network at 'The 5th BTS: A Global Interdisciplinary Conference,' which opened in grand style on July 2, 2026 at the JBNU International Convention Center.

The International BTS Society (ISBS) hosted the conference, which was co-organized by JBNU Namwon Glocal Campus Management Office, the Glocal University Development Project Group, the Department of K-Entertainment, and Big Movement. The theme of the conference was 'The Next Generation Hallyu & BTS.' Featuring 50 presenters from 10 countries, including Korea, the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Mongolia, the Czech Republic, Canada, Australia, and Japan, the event marked the largest-scale meeting in the series.

 

■ Opening With Welcome Address by Executive Vice‑President Yun Myeong‑suk and Congratulatory Remarks by Korea Foundation Chairman Song Gi‑do

The opening ceremony began with a welcome address by Yun Myeong‑suk, Executive Vice‑President of Foreign Affairs and Professional Affairs at JBNU. Vice‑President Yun said it was meaningful to continue the fifth journey in Jeonju, the most Korean city, and on JBNU’s most Korean campus. She added that BTS and ARMY, who have practiced solidarity and inclusion beyond national, racial, gender, and generational boundaries, are fundamentally changing how culture is produced and received. She highlighted the newly established Department of K‑Entertainment this year as a 'forward base for nurturing creative talent that will lead the next‑generation global cultural industry,' adding weight to the academic conference's significance. Following her remarks, Song Gi‑do, Chairman of the Korea Foundation (KF), delivered congratulatory remarks, praising BTS as 'a model of public diplomacy combining Korean distinctiveness and global universality.' Chair Song referenced BTS’s two UN General Assembly speeches, their participation in UNICEF campaigns, and ARMY’s donations and climate actions, emphasizing that these examples show how cultural content can drive meaningful social change.

 

■ Keynote Lecture by Professor Lee Ji‑haeng… 'From Unidirectional Export to Affective Relationality'

The academic prelude to the conference was a keynote lecture by JBNU Professor Lee Ji‑haeng (Department of K‑Entertainment). In his lecture titled 'The Future of Hallyu: From Unidirectional Export to Affective Relationality,' Professor Lee argued that the dynamism of Hallyu paradoxically emerged from Korea's modern history of 'lack' and 'geopolitical vulnerability.' From that context, a 'aesthetic of hybridity' that absorbed and transformed everything external produced today's K‑pop.

At the same time, he warned against the pitfalls of 'subcultural imperialism' and the 'originality trap' that a mainstreamed Hallyu beyond Asia can fall into. He located the tasks for the next generation of Hallyu in the recovery of horizontal and mutually reciprocal relationships. Drawing on the 'affective contagion' he observed at light‑stick protest sites, he proposed that 'affective relationality' and 'networks of reciprocal care'—which materially connect people beyond commercial consumption—are precisely the direction for BTS's 'New Chapter' and the next generation of Hallyu.

 

■ Interview With Bao Nguyen, Director of the Netflix Documentary… 'BTS's Return Is an Odyssey of Seven Heroes'

A special program in the conference that attracted attention was an interview session with Bao Nguyen, director of the Netflix documentary <BTS: The Return> (2026). Director Bao likened BTS's military service and OT7 reunion to the ancient Greek mythic 'Odyssey,' saying, 'The moment I watched the performance I felt, "This is like an Odyssey," and I knew I had to make this film.'

As a Vietnamese American director, he emphasized that he consciously refused to act as a 'cultural translator.' 'I never wanted to simplify Korea or BTS for Western audiences,' he said, borrowing the words of poet Ocean Vuong to explain that he aimed to make a work created 'with people,' not just 'about people.' He also explained that the documentary centered on the group's bond, noting that 'if even one member were missing, it could not be a true story of return.'

 

■ Kpop4Planet Special Speech… 'Fandom Moves Industry'

A special session combining popular appeal and on‑the‑ground activism also drew interest. Lee Da‑yeon, a campaigner for Kpop4Planet—the global K‑pop fans' voluntary climate‑action platform—gave a special speech titled 'Fandom Moves Industry: Achievements of K‑pop Climate Action and the Challenges of Sustainability.' Representing fan activism, Lee was recognized among BBC's 100 Women in 2023 and the Independent's 'Climate 100' in 2024.

The presentation traced records showing that 'fans were already acting before being asked,' demonstrating how fandom has actually moved industry. By raising the issue of excessive album plastics, they prompted the four major entertainment companies to publish sustainability management reports and adopt digital albums. They also pushed Melon to announce a '2030 carbon‑free cloud migration.' Notably, an Indonesian ARMY‑led campaign, 'Hyundai, Drop Coal,' targeted Hyundai—which had promoted BTS as a global ambassador—and, after a year of dialogue, succeeded in prompting the withdrawal of a coal‑based agreement.

Over the past five years, more than 90,000 people from over 90 countries participated in the campaigns, and over 30 fandoms collaborated to generate more than 1,400 media reports worldwide. Their activities converge on the message that 'the sustainability of Hallyu cannot be separated from the earth's sustainability.' This presentation, which shows fandom evolving beyond mere consumers into social and industrial actors, resonated with the conference's concern for the sustainability of next‑generation Hallyu.

 

■ Special Session Co‑hosted With Dongguk University's Academy for Hallyu Convergence… 'Post‑Hallyu and Glocal Autonomy'

On the morning of the second day, a special session co‑hosted by the Academy for Hallyu Convergence at Dongguk University (Director Jeong Gil‑hwa) and ISBS was held. Titled 'But That's Not Satisfactory,' the session addressed the needs and possibilities of the next generation of Hallyu, the psychological hinterland of 'foreign Hallyu,' and the 'continuity and autonomy of Hallyu,' focusing on the Vietnamese case. Through these discussions, the session explored in depth the 'glocalization' in which Hallyu evolves autonomously in various regions beyond unidirectional diffusion and the autonomous vitality of post‑Hallyu.

 

■ Closing Ceremony 'From Odyssey to Arirang'… From Live Gugak Arirang to a Complete 'ARMY Tour'

The narrative of the conference converged at the closing ceremony. An Byeong‑jin, a committee member and the master of ceremonies for the closing, summarized the two‑day journey under the concept 'From Odyssey to Arirang.' He tied the Odyssey journey posed by Director Bao to the most Korean sentiment of Arirang under five keywords: 'The Power of Vulnerability and Boundaries,' 'Translanguaging and Transnationality,' 'The Affective Platform of Light Sticks,' 'The Return of Those of Us,' and 'BTS’s Return.'

In particular, traditional singers from Jeonju participated in person to reinterpret 'Arirang'—a track included on BTS's comeback album—in various gugak (traditional music) versions. Following the Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Miryang, and Jindo Arirang styles, a 'Jindo Arirang (featuring Body to Body by BTS)' performance aimed to present 'the most Korean universality' as a vivid live experience for the Jeonju audience. After the program concluded, an 'ARMY Tour' featuring a complete BTS course around Wanju and a traditional hanji fan‑making workshop introduced the local charms unique to the Jeonbuk region.

JBNU Professor Lee Ji‑haeng said, 'This conference examined BTS and Hallyu not merely as cultural content but as a complex global phenomenon combining technology, society, ethics, and politics. It will be an important turning point for identifying the direction and sustainability of next‑generation Hallyu.'