BTS fans rally behind Korean international adoptees
K-pop boy band BTS member Jin (L) is greeted by fellow BTS member RM (right) after being discharged from his mandatory military service outside a military base in Yeoncheon. (AFP)
SEOUL : K-pop megaband BTS is back from military service, and their international fandom – long known for its progressive activism – is celebrating by rallying behind a cause: adoptees from South Korea.
Now Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, the idols' native South Korea remains one of the biggest exporters of adopted babies in the world, having sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999.
The country only recently acknowledged, after years of activism by adult adoptees, that the government was responsible for abuse in some such adoptions of local children, including record fabrication and inadequate consent from birth parents.
The septet's fandom, dubbed ARMY, is known for backing causes like Black Lives Matter and ARMY4Palestine, and launched the #ReuniteWithBTS fundraising project last week to support Korean adoptees seeking to reconnect with or learn about their birth families, which can be a painful and legally tricky process.
Almost all of BTS members have completed South Korea's mandatory military service, required of all men due to the country's military tensions with North Korea.
'We are celebrating both the reunion of BTS and ARMY, and BTS members being able to reunite with their own family and friends,' the BTS fan group behind the initiative, One In An ARMY, told AFP.
'Helping international adoptees reunite with their birth country, culture, customs and families seemed like the perfect cause to support during this time.'
The fans are supporting KoRoot, a Seoul-based organisation that helps Korean adoptees search for their records and birth families and which played a key role in pushing for the government to recognise adoption-related abuses.
Peter Moller, KoRoot's co-representative, told AFP it was 'very touching' that the BTS fans had taken up the cause, even though 'they're not even adoptees themselves'.
For many adoptees, seeing Korean stars in mainstream media has been a way for them to find 'comfort, joy, and a sense of pride' in the roots that they were cut off from, KoRoot's leader Kim Do-hyun added.
Soft power
BTS, who have discussed anti-Asian hate crimes at the White House and spoken candidly about mental health, have long been considered one of the best examples of South Korea's soft power reach.
For years, Korean adoptees – many of whom were adopted by white families globally – have advocated for their rights and spoken out about encountering racism in their host countries.
Some adoptees, such as the high-profile case of Adam Crapser, were later deported to South Korea as adults because their American parents never secured their US citizenship.
Many international adoptees feel their immigration experience has been 'fraught', Keung Yoon Bae, a Korean studies professor at Georgia Institute of Technology, told AFP.
Some adoptees have found that, like Crapser, their guardians failed to complete the necessary paperwork to make them legal, she said.
This is becoming a particular problem under US President Donald Trump, who is pushing a sweeping crackdown on purported illegal immigrants.
Bae said it was possible that ''accidentally illegal' adoptee immigrants may fall further through the cracks, and their deeply unfortunate circumstances left unremedied'.
The whale
Reunions between Korean adoptees and their birth families can be emotionally complex, as Kara Bos – who grew up in the United States – experienced firsthand when she met her biological father through a landmark paternity lawsuit.
During their encounter in Seoul in 2020, he refused to remove his hat, sunglasses, or mask, declined to look at her childhood photos and offered no information about her mother. He died around six months later.
'The journey of birth family searching is very lonely, difficult, and costly. Many adoptees do not even have the means to return to their birth country let alone fund a family search,' Bos, 44, told AFP.
To have BTS fans rally around adoptees and provide help with this complex process is 'a wonderful opportunity', she said.
For Malene Vestergaard, a 42-year-old Korean adoptee and BTS fan in Denmark, the group's song 'Whalien 52', which references a whale species whose calls go unheard by others, deeply resonated with her.
'I personally sometimes feel like that whale. Being amongst my peers, but they will never be able to truly understand what my adoption has done to me,' she told AFP.
'For me, finding BTS at the same time I started looking for my birth family and the truth about my adoption and my falsified papers, was such a comfort.'
Vestergaard said the grief woven into her adoption would never go away, but that 'BTS and their lyrics have made it easier to reconcile with that truth'.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
an hour ago
- New Straits Times
#SHOWBIZ: Netizens excited as BTS' J-Hope loves Malaysian snack
SEOUL: A short video clip has gone viral on TikTok, featuring BTS member J-Hope revealing that one of his favourite snacks is Super Ring, a popular cheese-flavoured treat made in Malaysia. In the video, the 31-year-old, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, tells the programme host that the snack is "very tasty and full of cheesy flavour," even encouraging the host to try it. "It's so flavourful and delicious," he said. Although the K-pop star mistakenly thought the snack was from Singapore, Malaysian fans were still thrilled and proud that J-Hope had expressed his love for the much-loved local product. Comments on the posts included: "Someone please tell him Super Ring is from Malaysia!" "So proud that J-Hope loves Super Ring!" and "I screamed at my phone when I saw J-Hope enjoying Super Ring. So proud!"
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
Park Bo-gum to meet fans in Singapore on Aug 14 as part of ‘Be With You' Asia tour
SINGAPORE, June 23 — South Korean actor Park Bo-gum will return to Singapore on August 14 for a fan meeting as part of his Be With You tour, his agency The Black Label confirmed. The event will be held at The Star Theatre at 7pm, giving fans another chance to meet the When Life Gives You Tangerines star up close, according to a report today in Channel News Asia. Tickets, priced from S$148 (RM490) to S$268 before booking fees, go on general sale from June 27 at 10am via and the ticketing hotline at +65 6018 7645. PARK BO GUM 2025 FAN MEETING TOUR [BE WITH YOU]JULY 26 - JULY 27 YOKOHAMAAUG 1 - AUG 2 SEOULAUG 14 SINGAPOREAUG 17 KAOHSIUNGAUG 22 MANILAAUG 24 BANGKOKAUG 29 HONG KONGAUG 31 JAKARTASEP 6 MACAOSEP 13 KUALA LUMPUR#PARKBOGUM #박보검 #BEWITHYOU#THEBLACKLABEL... — THEBLACKLABEL (@THEBLACKLABEL) May 30, 2025 All attendees will receive a printed poster with a message from Park and participate in a hi-bye session with the actor. Fans who purchase the S$268 Be With You package will also get a 1:2 group photo opportunity and a postcard set, including one autographed card hand-signed by Park. MasterCard holders will have early access to tickets from June 25, 10am to 11.59pm, while Live Nation members can join a presale on June 26 during the same hours. The Singapore stop is part of Park's Asia tour, which also includes cities such as Yokohama, Seoul, Kaohsiung, Manila, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Macao and Kuala Lumpur. Park recently drew acclaim for his role in the Netflix drama When Life Gives You Tangerines, playing Yang Gwan-sik, the quietly complex husband of IU's character, Oh Ae-Sun. His role earned him a nomination for Best Television Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards, where the series won Best Drama.
Malay Mail
an hour ago
- Malay Mail
After over 20 years, 90s Malaysian girl group Elite to hold first solo concert this September
KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 – Popular 90s Malaysian girl group Elite are reuniting for a solo concert in conjunction with their 30th anniversary. This will be their first solo concert in over 20 years and is set to take place at Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on September 20. Organised by Icon Entertainment, the Elite Live '25 concert will feature all five original members — Abby Abadi, Azza Zawari, Linda Rafar, Watie Sadali, and Sasha Saidin — taking centre stage this September. According to Linda, the decision to hold a solo concert came after the warm reception they received during the GenKRU concert at Axiata Arena in May, where the group made a surprise appearance during one of the four-day shows. 'Actually, we were a bit nervous because, as you all know, it's been quite a while since we performed live together, especially on a large scale. 'When we received the offer from Icon Entertainment, we had mixed feelings at first but eventually agreed to it. 'This was after taking into consideration that some of our songs are still favoured and relevant, and we want to party with all our fans — both old and new,' Linda said. Formed in 1995, Elite was the first act signed under KRU Records. Over five years with the label, they released several albums including Catwalk, Tamparan, Idola, Selamat Tinggal Teman, G.I.G, and Merbahaya. The theme for Elite Live '25 is Catwalk, and fans are encouraged to dress their best as there will also be a red carpet session. Tickets for Elite Live '25 will go on sale starting June 26 at 2pm, with prices ranging from RM268 to RM1,088. For more ticketing information, please visit
