Why Do Critics Love Bong Joon-Ho And Dismiss BTS?

By Erica Russell 


BTS, one of the big music groups on the planet, and Bong Joon-Ho, the critically acclaimed and Oscar-nominated director of Parasite, are both having a moment. At the begin of this new decade, trying to disregard either’s impact on pop culture would prove an absurd physical activity in either delusion, if not willful exclusion. In other words, BTS and Bong are creating, respectively, some of the most impactful art today, and with international repercussions to boot.


The two also seem tied by a cosmic thread, a fateful connection. (And we’re not just talking about singer Kim Taehyung’s much-publicized camaraderie with Parasite star Choi Woo-Shik.) Case in point, this pair of Korean artsy powerhouses have some fascinating parallels that go far in back of their shared nation of origin — so much so that Neon, Parasite’s American film distributor, whipped up some genius Bong Joon-Ho merch that mimics BTS’s own designs.


For one, both BTS and Bong are deft genre mixers; their respective assignments are usually tough or impossible to group, routinely exploring sociopolitical themes. In sharp lyrics splashed across a vast discography, BTS address detailed topics ranging from Korea’s youth-stifling education-industrial perplexing (“N.O.”) to capitalism and class structures (“Spine Breaker”), while Bong has tackled similar conversations in subversive feature works like 2013’s Snowpiercer (fun fact: the film is referenced in BTS’s “Spring Day”) and 2019’s Parasite. Plus, Bong’s films have habitually centered underdogs the audience can root for, and there was a time as soon as BTS’s RM, V, Jin, Jimin, Suga, Jungkook, and J-Hope were imagined underdogs too.


In doing so, both are disrupting entertainment media on a world scale. Whether intentionally or afterward, BTS and Bong are complicated the outdated, largely white perceptions of Asian media in the West. They’re also normalizing Asian representation, period: Didn’t think you’d ever visualize a East Asian pop order on American late-night television? BTS’s historic Saturday Night Live performance and several Late Late Show appearances have changed that dismal outlook. Didn’t think a Korean-language film would be taken seriously on the Western awards season circuit? Bong’s Parasite made history at the SAG Awards by taking residence the award for Outstanding Efficiency by a Cast in a Motion Picture, leaving mythic American auteurs like Tarantino and Scorsese in the dust.


Unfortunately, it seems that mainstream Western media and culture only has room for one Korean entertainment virtuoso at the table. While Bong’s needle-sharp 2019 class-warfare thriller Parasite has rightfully become a festival and essential darling, winning the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, earning six nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards (including Best Director and Best Picture), and making history at both the 2020 Golden Globes and SAGs, BTS hasn't quite however reached the same level of crucial laudation, at least not in the United States.


The stars of Parasite are victorious at the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards


Several U.S. Critics have labeled Bong’s film as a “masterpiece.” Although BTS’s music — even the group’s most well-received, expertly crafted albums — remains unfairly relegated to pop culture fluff by several seasoned critics. And that may just have something to do with how Western media views the group’s diverse, nevertheless largely young and female fanbase.


“Boy bands aren't respected overall and that's because they're viewed as teenybopper bands that only little ladies like,” says journalist Jae-Ha Kim, who writes about Korean entertainment for Variety. “It's such a sexist and outdated viewpoint. It's also a trope that writers repeat, because several won't go to a boy musical group concert to actually visualize who's there … [it’s not] believed serious art. Mainstream Western audience has never been kind to most boy bands, so I'm not surprised that they're dismissive of BTS. Music snobs who didn't like NSYNC or One Direction aren't going to heat up to a crowd that doesn't sing in English language. The fact that they're Korean just adds fuel to the fire for racists who view Asian boys as inferior." Moreover, false assumptions about the categorize being a flash-in-the-pan, manufactured boy musical group permeate the Western narrative, with little regard to BTS’s goal artsy value or the several years of training that have elevated them to superstar status.


“There are a number of things going on,” Kim continues. “Bong Joon-Ho has been making films for two decades and his work has been acclaimed by critics internationally for a while right now, although the general public has just been catching on with the success of Parasite. Given that he is a middle-aged man who looks more like an average Korean man than a celebrity, no one is going to accuse him of being well known simply because of his looks. With BTS, several people assume they're an overnight sensation. The average person doesn't realize they've been an audience for the past seven years and worked diligently on their artistry before they ever became famous.”


BTS poses on the red carpet at the 2020 Grammys


While BTS have won awards from the MTV VMAs, AMAs, and Billboard Music Awards among others, the Grammys — a symbol of industry prestige in the West, and possibly maybe the musical equivalent of the Oscars — remains elusive. And far also several of the group’s awards have been in culturally marginalized or social media-centric categories; their immersive music artistry keeps it up and continues to be largely pushed aside by American awards shows reserving marquee categories for Western artists.


While BTS definitely doesn’t need the validation of the Grammys, or any other U.S. Award show for that matter, their exclusion from the more serious categories speaks to how their artsy contributions are viewed by mainstream critics and gatekeepers outdoor of Asia. However, the repercussions of the West’s response to Korean-made and Korean-starring media like BTS’s music (and Bong’s Parasite) are paramount to increased representation for Asians and Asian Residents of the
U.S.. Simply put: Validation increases visibility.


“It's a big deal twofold,” Kim says. “Success in the U.S. Is a coup for bands from any nation. The U.S. Is a very lucrative market. Just about every Korean categorize — or perhaps Korean-American artists — I've interviewed has mentioned they never thought they would have the possibility to work in the U.S. In a meaningful way. These are young gentlemen and girls in their late teens and early 20s, nevertheless they grew up with the same mindset that I did decades ago, because I never saw Asians represented in pop culture other than as an afterthought in the U.S. For me, their success is very consequential. It means that young Asian Residents of the
U.S. And other minorities are seeing themselves represented.”


At the 77th Golden Globe Awards on January 5, Bong praised BTS for the phenomenal impact they’ve had on an international level. “Although I’m here at the Golden Globes, BTS has 3,000 times the quantity of power and influence that I have. I think Korea inevitably produces a lot of fantastic artists ‘cause we’re very emotionally dynamic people,” he shared by way of the a translator while in a red carpet interview.


As for what it will take for Western critics to take BTS’s work as seriously as their creative industry peers, one thing is for sure: The onus isn't on the artist. Systemic mindsets and cultural viewpoints need to shift, however that’s neither BTS’s nor Bong’s (nor any other non-white, non-English-speaking artist’s) responsibility. It’s the critics who must put the work in.


“There are some major crucial music outlets that have given [BTS] beneficial reviews, although there's really not a lot more that BTS can do to endear critics to them, because they have done everything right,” Kim notes. “The language barrier is something several critics aren't going hope to deal with, unfortunately — which is a shame, because their lyrics really are beautiful.”