A RECENT survey asked South Korean college students who they think are the country’s most influential people in any field.
At the top of the list was Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae Yong, with 21.8% of the votes. Second on the list was President Moon Jae-In with 20.2% of votes.
In third place was BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys. The K-pop group received 14.4% of the votes.
Many netizens were impressed when they saw the results of the votes, as BTS was the highest ranked name from the entertainment industry. It should be noted that the in fourth place was comedian and TV personality Yoo Jae-Suk, with 11.8%.
Just last month, the boyband attended and spoke at the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment at the 2021 United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
President Moon himself has also repeatedly expressed his gratitude for BTS’ positive influence and impact.
The netizen who pointed out the results in a post on Nate Pann explained: “It used to be a joke but it’s not anymore. This is real.”
Other netizens joined the conversation to comment on the survey results. The comments included:
“This is true because BTS does have influence when it comes to foreign affairs. I was really surprised when BTS said that they were going to the MET (New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art) with the First Lady. The MET even prepared a space for them and did a tour for them.”
“BTS has an immense influence in our culture.”
“I’m more surprised that Yoo Jae-Suk is still as influential.”