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Korean Identities Beyond Borders

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BTS

Unbiased History & Stories on Korea for Global Audience

Sponsored by Open Korea Foundation

  • BTS members’ military boot camp stories draw fan attention

    Jun 5, 2026
    in News
    BTS members’ military boot camp stories draw fan attention

    A BTS member surprised and intrigued fans after leaving a comment on social media videos that described what he was…

    BTS, Military, Social Media
  • I wrote about sasaengs and parasocial relationships in Kpop fandom—BTS, NCT, & Jackson Wang all feature.

    Jun 4, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Hi guys, I’m Brooke. I work as a writer – spent about a decade in Western film/TV and now I’m…

    BTS, K-pop
  • BTS vs. price gouging? Gov’t steps in before Busan shows

    Jun 3, 2026
    in News
    BTS vs. price gouging? Gov’t steps in before Busan shows

    Korean authorities are moving to crack down on alleged hotel price gouging and reservation abuses after BTS members publicly criticized…

    BTS, Busan, K-pop, Survey
  • The use of k-pop idols/ symbolism in politics

    Jun 2, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    I’m gonna start this saying that I of course understand that everything and and every action is political. I don’t…

    BTS, Discussion, K-pop, Politics, Question, Social Media
  • Is it only me who feels like this dwag 🤠

    Jun 1, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Is it only me but I feel like after the whole Newjeans-Illit-Lesserfim Chaos, Hybe has been making the whole building…

    BTS
  • Can we respect the achievements of other groups without insulting others?

    Jun 1, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Once again, as always ,I posted last week about tge same kind of fan wars , I encounter fan wars…

    BTS, K-pop, Teenager
  • Atheart — Beauty+ Digital Cover, June 2026: Sharp Edge, Soft Knife

    Jun 1, 2026
    in Feeds
    Atheart — Beauty+ Digital Cover, June 2026: Sharp Edge, Soft Knife

    Nahyun and Arin of Atheart have no interest in being palatable. They have interest in being inevitable. Nahyun & Arin…

    BTS, Japan, K-pop, K-pop industry, LG, Photography, Question, Seoul, Social Media, Tokyo
  • Melon just launched the Global-K Chart: Here’s the first ever ranking

    Jun 1, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Melon’s charts have traditionally been focused solely on domestic performance, but the platform has now introduced a new chart called…

    BTS, Japan, K-pop, LG, Question
  • Arih Ramyun 아리 truffle bulgogi flavor

    May 31, 2026
    in Community, Feeds
    Arih Ramyun 아리 truffle bulgogi flavor

    I bought everything flavor of the Arih Ramyun. They noodles been gaining popularity in the media with association with BTS…

    BTS, Kimchi, Korean Food, LG
  • Arih Ramyun 마리 Truffle Bulgogi Flavor

    May 31, 2026
    in Community, Feeds
    Arih Ramyun 마리 Truffle Bulgogi Flavor

    I bought everything flavor of the Arih Ramyun. They noodles been gaining popularity in the media with association with BTS…

    BTS, Kimchi, Korean Food, LG
  • where in the world sasaengs get their money from?

    May 30, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    I’m actually so curious where does @chelsea__tae and @theultimatedodo get their money to attend every single BTS show? There is…

    BTS
  • have you ever had a “why does a song need so many ppl to be sung?” phase before becoming a kpop fan

    May 30, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    For me, I was 15 and my friend was into BTS and showed them to me. I had never been…

    BTS, Sex
  • Likelihood of a IZONE reunion based on each member

    May 30, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    With IOI’s reunion and Wanna One basically doing the same thing (except without releasing any music), I think chances are…

    BTS, Japan
  • Dragging 90 cards into tiers on a phone is misery, so I built a K-pop bias ranker that’s just tap-who-you-like

    May 29, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Ranking biases on TierMaker always falls apart for me on mobile. Dragging a wall of portrait cards into tiers with…

    BTS, K-pop
  • My thoughts on Kim Soohyun’s scandal compiled

    May 28, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    The response to Kim Soo-hyun’s controversy is very interesting to me Please feel happy to correct me if i’m wrong…

    BTS, Controversy, Question, Scandal, Social Media
  • What are some BTS songs that sound super dark and mystical?

    May 28, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    If I have to explain the vibe, something similar to Ariana Grande’s Safety Net or Madison Beer’s Effortlessly.. I feel…

    BTS
  • My top 3 Best vs Worst releases of 2026 so far+why

    May 27, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    BEST- Motto by ITZY- I’m in LOVE with this album. I love how the members got their own songs, and…

    BTS, LG, Question
  • Reading about Cortis members’ casting story, do you find it shocking that companies cast trainees at such a young age?

    May 27, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    So I was reading about Cortis’s members Keonho and Seonghyeon (two members arguably most popular in Korea and China) casting…

    BTS, family, Lotte, Lotte World, Parents, Seoul
  • ✨️FORBES KOREA TOP 10 BIGGEST K-POP EARNERS OF 2025-26✨️ This recent article is going viral on Korean Internet bc of how crazy the amounts are so I converted it to USD so we can be shocked over here too 😆 hope somebody else finds it interesting!

    May 27, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    1) 🥇 BTS – $222M 2) 🥈 BLACKPINK – $100M 3) 🥉 G-DRAGON – $61.6M 4) JIN – $34.6M 5)…

    BTS, K-pop
  • Why can people never accept that most of Newjeans privilege came from their success

    May 26, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    one of the words that is mostly linked to newjeans is career is “privilege” because compared to most group they…

    BTS
  • Physical album designs and lightsticks should actually look good considering how expensive K-pop merch is

    May 26, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    I’m not rlly a fan of Blackpink, Baemon, TXT, Ateez, Monsta X, and BTS’s physical album designs this year except…

    BTS, K-pop
  • I think kpop has changed my brain and my personality.

    May 26, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    I know this sounds strange. I’m 46F (married 13 years, childfree by choice if that matters). I used to listen…

    BTS, Military
  • I have mixed feelings after watching BTS preforms on American music awards.

    May 26, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    While watching their performance, I felt something was missing. For example, they seemed a bit too enthusiastic. I don’t know…

    BTS
  • Best selling K-Pop albums in 2026 so far (US pure)

    May 26, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    #1 ARIRANG —BTS (530K+) #2 GOLDEN HOUR : PART.4 —ATEEZ #3 THE SIN : VANISH — ENHYPEN #4 KPop Demon…

    BTS, K-pop
  • STILL HERE, STILL US: WANNA ONE RECLAIM THE MOMENT

    May 26, 2026
    in Feeds
    STILL HERE, STILL US: WANNA ONE RECLAIM THE MOMENT

    The Cover Ten individual covers. One unified story. For the June 2026 digital edition, ELLE Korea does something that feels…

    BTS, Global Expansion, Japan, K-pop, LG, Military, Photography, purpose, Seoul, Social Media
  • Melon billion clubs(most streamed artists on melon)

    May 25, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Melon has diamond(over 10b streams), gold(over 5b), silver(over 2b) and bronze(over 1b) clubs Bronze club(over 1b streams) consists of 85…

    BTS
  • Why I believe Cortis will become the leader of 5th gen boygroup

    May 25, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    The Anatomy of a Generational Ruler: Why CORTIS is Destined to Follow Big Bang, BTS, and Stray Kids If you…

    BTS, history, K-pop, K-pop industry, Suga
  • Why do you think Cortis gain popularity easier than TXT as a BigHit group? (ignore this post if you don’t care about popularity)

    May 25, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    *I’m a fan of both groups so this is not to put down Txt, who is very successful on their…

    BTS
  • List of my favourite kpop songs from 1st-3rd gen kpop group that I like (ranked)

    May 25, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    I will list out more than one songs if I know and Stan the group. 1st gen ( I only…

    apology, BTS
  • Kpop Entertainment Company by 2025 Revenue

    May 25, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    Take this as a Kpop industry cheatsheet. Disclaimer : Businessing money is complicated, some terms are simplified. Unable to triple-check…

    BTS, Kakao
  • BTS fandom’s spending power projected to lift Korea’s GDP by 0.35 percentage points by 2040

    May 24, 2026
    in Community, Feeds
    BTS fandom’s spending power projected to lift Korea’s GDP by 0.35 percentage points by 2040

    submitted by /u/self-fix2 [link] [comments]

    BTS
  • Hybe’s upcoming groups planned to debut in the next 5 years

    May 24, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    So based on official announcements, casting calls from labels, and insider information from X, here’s all we know about upcoming…

    BTS, Japan
  • thoughts of cortis being claimed as “the next bts”?

    May 24, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    So I’ve seen a lot of discourse (?) going on regarding hybe/big hit wanting to make cortis the “next BTS”…

    BTS, Question
  • Top 3 Boy Groups From Each Generation (My Opinion)

    May 24, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    A lot of kpop stans like to discuss this, here’s my list based on my observation. First gen 1. Hot…

    BTS
  • Thinking about not going to the BTS concert in Paris

    May 24, 2026
    in Community, Feeds

    As I said on the title, I am thinking about not going to the BTS concert in Paris. When I…

    BTS
  • FIXED ON GREATNESS: MINGI x MCM IS THE COLLAB K-POP FASHION NEEDED

    May 24, 2026
    in Feeds
    FIXED ON GREATNESS: MINGI x MCM IS THE COLLAB K-POP FASHION NEEDED

    “He doesn’t just wear fashion. He rewires it — frame by frame, drop by drop, like every look is a…

    BTS, Celebrity, Japan, K-pop, Lotte, Photography, purpose, Seoul
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Latest Korean News

  • N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: reportAugust 24, 2026
    North Korea and Belarus are close to signing a visa-waiver… Read more: N. Korea, Belarus near visa-waiver agreement for ordinary citizens: report
  • Samsung forecast to overtake Apple in global smartphone shipments in 2026: reportAugust 24, 2026
    Samsung Electronics is forecast to reclaim the top spot in… Read more: Samsung forecast to overtake Apple in global smartphone shipments in 2026: report
  • Korea expands autonomous driving AI testsAugust 24, 2026
    The government said Monday it will significantly expand pilot projects… Read more: Korea expands autonomous driving AI tests
  • Hanmi Pharm signs $2.3 bil. licensing deal with Roche’s Genentech for obesity drug candidateAugust 24, 2026
    Hanmi Pharm, a Korean pharmaceutical company, said Monday it has… Read more: Hanmi Pharm signs $2.3 bil. licensing deal with Roche’s Genentech for obesity drug candidate
  • EcoPro BM begins overhaul of Hungary plant to target European EV marketAugust 24, 2026
    EcoPro BM has begun converting its Hungary plant to produce… Read more: EcoPro BM begins overhaul of Hungary plant to target European EV market

Latest Community Feeds

  • Renting a Car in Korea: My ExperienceAugust 25, 2026
  • ‘No Permission to Dance’: Venue closure in Busan leads to petition to change laws on live performancesAugust 25, 2026
  • SK Hynix Performance Stock Agreement Rejected by 50.1%August 25, 2026
  • Seoul Mayor Proposes Tancheon as Housing Alternative to YongsanAugust 25, 2026
  • Lee says police will be biggest power, stresses need for reform by gov’t bodyAugust 25, 2026
  • Used to be very embarrassed abut liking K-popAugust 25, 2026
  • Thank You NCT 127 for Bringing Me Back!🔥🔥August 25, 2026
  • Japanese propaganda during the occupation of Korea.August 25, 2026
  • Are there any current gen K-pop groups with a dual concept like Red Velvet?August 24, 2026
  • The 5th gen GG leader talks are over. The winner is ResceneAugust 24, 2026
  • For the first time in over 20 years, a majority of South Koreans have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S.August 24, 2026
  • Predictions: Girl groups that could become the “biggest girl group in the world”August 24, 2026
  • The Way Hanteo Messed Up NCT 127’s album Sales is DisappointingAugust 24, 2026
  • What was, without a doubt, the most visually stunning K-Pop music video released in recent months?August 24, 2026
  • Hanteo possibly biggest counting error ever?August 24, 2026
  • K-pop fans don’t take the “artist” label seriously and just use it as a shield to put down the groups that they don’t like even if the members of that group write their own songs.August 24, 2026
  • tell me your roman empire about kpop! fun facts?August 24, 2026
  • Is it me or do I feel that heeseung leaving enhypen was worth it?August 24, 2026
  • Is it me or are we getting absolutely bangers this year?August 24, 2026
  • Fandom Before Music/stage/performance/official debuteAugust 24, 2026

All Articles

  • Art (3)
  • Feeds (25,038)
    • Community (18,605)
    • Entertainment (988)
    • News (5,101)
  • History (41)
  • People (16)

History of Korea

  • Exploring Ancient Korea: A Journey into Pre-HistoryOctober 12, 2017
    Introduction to Pre-Historic Korea The timeline of ancient Korea before documented history is a fascinating yet challenging area of study.… Read more: Exploring Ancient Korea: A Journey into Pre-History
  • The Rise and Fall of Go Joseon and the Emergence of the Three KingdomsOctober 19, 2017
    Introduction to Go Joseon The Go Joseon dynasty, often considered a pivotal era in Korean history, emerged around the end… Read more: The Rise and Fall of Go Joseon and the Emergence of the Three Kingdoms
  • The Rise and Fall of Korea’s Three Kingdoms: A Story of Power, Conflict, and UnificationNovember 30, 2017
    Introduction to the Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms period in Korea, encompassing approximately from the 1st century BCE to the… Read more: The Rise and Fall of Korea’s Three Kingdoms: A Story of Power, Conflict, and Unification
  • Choe Chi-wonFebruary 14, 2018
    Introduction to Choe Chi-won Choe Chi-won, born in 857, stands as a notable figure in Korean history, specifically during the… Read more: Choe Chi-won
  • King Gwanggaeto the GreatMay 14, 2018
    Introduction to King Gwanggaeto King Gwanggaeto the Great, a pivotal figure in Korean history, ruled from 395 to 413 CE… Read more: King Gwanggaeto the Great
  • Won HyoOctober 14, 2018
    Introduction to Won Hyo Won Hyo, a prominent figure in Korean history, is celebrated for his profound impact on the… Read more: Won Hyo
  • Jang BogoApril 14, 2019
    Introduction to Jang Bogo Jang Bogo, a prominent historical figure from the Silla Dynasty, played a pivotal role in shaping… Read more: Jang Bogo
  • GyebaekApril 14, 2019
    Introduction to Gyebaek Gyebaek is a prominent historical figure in Korean history, particularly known for his role as a general… Read more: Gyebaek
  • King MuryeongSeptember 14, 2019
    Introduction to King Muryeong King Muryeong, reigning from 501 to 523 AD, stands as one of the most influential monarchs… Read more: King Muryeong
  • The Rise and Fall of the Goryeo Dynasty: A Precursor to the Joseon EraJanuary 3, 2020
    Introduction to the Goryeo Dynasty The Goryeo Dynasty, established in 918 AD by the notable general Wang Geon, marks a… Read more: The Rise and Fall of the Goryeo Dynasty: A Precursor to the Joseon Era

Open Korea

Open Korea

Korean Identities Beyond Borders

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Helplines in Korea

112  | Police

Call to report life-threatening situations and emergencies requiring law enforcement. Text service and location tracking service is also available.

119 | Fire & Ambulance

The fire department and health emergencies requiring ambulance service. There’s also an English reporting section on their website.

182 | Missing Persons & Stolen Vehicles

This line is also used for non-emergency reports and requests such as inquiring about the cost of a fine for a traffic violation, information on car licenses, and how to contact officers in charge of specific cases.

1339 | Korea Center for Disease Control (KCDC) Foreigner Helpline

Particularly useful during the 2015 MERS scare, the KCDC provides foreigners with information about first-aid and diseases in English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian.

1366 | Seoul Women’s Help Hotline

Not necessarily English-friendly and not outside of Seoul, this 24-hour service immediate response line for women involved in domestic abuse, sexual violence or prostitution should still be kept handy.

1330 | Korea Tourism Organization’s Travel Helpline

Tourism and translation services. The service is available 24/7 and provides information on tourist sites, transportation, restaurants, and more.

120 | Seoul Municipal Government Info

The Seoul “Dasan” helpline provides information on restaurants (Korean and international cuisines), transportation (bus, subway, taxi, etc.), Korean language schools, interpretation services, legal consulting, lost items, volunteer services, daily living in Seoul, and tourism. Available languages are Chinese, English, Japanese, Mongolian and Vietnamese from 9 am to 10 pm.

1345 | Immigration

Foreign resident can to ask just about any immigration-related question. Keep in mind that they tend to be on the negative side, as it’s the safer way for them to answer. Tip: Get their name and information so that if you visit the immigration office and get a different story you can tell them that you were told otherwise…

1331 | National Human Rights Commission of Korea

Call here to get information on human rights laws and social justice in Korea, as well as get assistance with filing a complaint and even receive counseling.

110 | National Government Call Center

This phone number is available for the public to call and inquire about anything from government policy to civil complaints. Available in 20 different languages.

Useful Official Links on Korea

Korean Arts

  • Archive of Gugak 국악아카이브
  • Artsnet 미술포탈 아츠넷
  • Digital Archive of Performing Arts 공연예술 디지털 아카이브
  • Intangible Heritage Digital Archive 무형유산 디지털 아카이브
  • Korea Digital Archives for the Arts 한국예술디지털아카이브
  • National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea 국립현대미술관
  • ​National Museum of Korea 국립중앙박물관
  • Seoul Photo Archives 서울사진아카이브

Korean Cinema

  • HANCINEMA The Korean Movie & Drama Database
  • Intangible Heritage Digital Archive 무형유산 디지털 아카이브
  • KMDb 한국영화데이터베이스
  • Korea Digital Archives for the Arts 한국예술디지털아카이브
  • Korean Annual Box Office Results 영화진흥위원회 박스오피스
  • Korean Film Archive 한국영상자료원
  • Korean Film Archive YouTube Channel
  • Korean Film Biz Zone
  • Korean Film Council 한국영화진흥위원회
  • KTV National Record Film 한국정책방송원 e영상역사관
  • North Korean film 북한영화 (통일부 북한자료센타)

Language & Literature

  • The Academy of Korean Studies 한국학 중앙 연구원
  • DLKL (한국 문학 디지털 도서관) by 한국문학번역원Digital Library of Korean Literature
  • The Korea Comparative Literature Association 한국비교문학회
  • The Korean Association of Language Sciences 한국언어과학회
  • Korean Literature Archive
  • Korean Literature Author Data Service
  • Korean Literature E-books in Multiple Languages
  • The Learned Society of Modern Korean Literature 한국현대문학회
  • The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea 한국현대언어학회
  • The Society of Korean Oral Literature 한국 구비 문학회
  • 국어 능력 인증 시험 (한국언어문화연구원)
  • 근대 문학 종합 목록 (국립 중앙 도서관)A comprehensive database for Korean modern literature. The site provides a search for authors and titles.
  • 한국 고전 종합 DB
  • 한글 학회 (Korean Language Society)

Statistical Sources

Government sources

  • Statistics Korea (KOSTAT 통계청)
  • Korean Statistical Information Sources (KOSIS 국가통계포털)
  • Open DATA Portal (공공 데이터 포털)

Themed statistics

  • Korean Social Science Data Archive (KOSSDA) 한국사회과학자료원
  • North Korean Statistics 북한통계 (KOISS)
  • 경제통계시스템 (Economic Statistics System)
  • 국가교육통계정보센터 (Korea National Center for Education Statistics & Information)
  • 노동통계 (Labour Statistics)
  • Media Statistics (Korea Press Foundation)
  • Trade Statistics (수출입통계, 관세청 Korea Customs Service)

History related sources

  • 한국역사정보통합시스템 (국사편찬워원회)
  • 한국사 데이터베이스
  • Kyujanggak Institute (규장각 한국학 연구원)Seoul National University Kyujanggak Institute for Korean studies
  • 한국학 디지털 아카이브
  • The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty 조선 왕조 실록
  • The Daily Records of Royal Secretariat of Joseon Dynasty 승정원 일기
  • 朝鮮王朝実録 (東京大学東洋文化研究所)
  • Korean Image Archive (한국 이미지 자료원)2,400 historic, original photographs of Korea (primarily focus on images captured pre-1970, and 35mm color slides) are available for research, presentation, lectures and other forms of scholarly works.
  • Sajin Taehan Min’guk (사진 대한민국)a collection of photographic records that vividly capture the people’s daily lives and social changes.
  • Academy of Korean Studies [한국학 디지털 아카이브]

Bibliographies and Indexes

  • 한국학술지인용색인 Korea Citation Index
  • KORCIS: 한국 고문헌 종합 목록 (국립중앙도서관)Korean Old and Rare Collection Information System
  • 近代朝鮮関係書籍データベース (東京大学東洋文化研究所)
  • 한국 잡지 박물관 DB