BTS turned millions on to K-pop. But now it's caught between Korea and the world

BTS turned millions on to K-pop. But now it's caught between Korea and the world8 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleYuna KuBBC Korean, SeoulGetty ImagesL-R: J-Hope, Jin, Suga, RM, V, Jung Kook and Jimin after a recent appearance on the Jimmy Fallon show "BTS 2.0 is just getting started!" J-Hope declared as he stood alongside the other six members of the world's biggest band.It was 21 March and, after a long break, J-Hope, RM, Suga, Jin, Jimin, V and Jung Kook had taken to the stage again - silhouettes against an arch of LED screens framing the historic gate to the royal palace in Seoul, as screaming crowds stretched for blocks.Tens of thousands turned up to watch and more than 18 million people live-streamed the one-hour show - a slick teaser of the upcoming BTS world tour, with the group's easy camaraderie on display, almost as if they had not spent much of the last three years apart, doing mandatory military service and releasing solo albums.And yet, in the days that followed, a more complicated story emerged, partly fuelled by a candid documentary about the making of the new album, showing members disagreeing with their powerful agency, Hybe, over the direction and identity of their music.The group finds itself being pulled in so many directions: Between fandoms, old and new, Korean and global, between artistic identity and commercial expectations, between the creative instincts of its members and the broader strategy surrounding them. And then there is the small matter of being the face of South Korean soft power.It boils down to a single, loaded question: Is BTS straying too far from K-pop in trying to woo the world?Getty ImagesTens of thousands turned up for the comeback show on 21 March At home, some fans are debating how Korean the new album Arirang really is - despite being named after a beloved folk song, which is sampled in the hip-hop laden opener, Body to Body.This heroing of rap is what those defending the album lov...