Mari⁷ ☔

Dreamy sigh and hope for the best. An ARMY since the day this account was made 💜

[Mari⁷ ☔ @armycloudave]

i've been in a mix of happiness and heartache since their arrival 🥹 hearing all these stories and seeing them again felt so overwhelming to me, but i'm not complaining! it's simply how i felt towards the group who accompanied my uncertain youth 💜

[colin @colin_goldmund]

BTS Through the Eyes of Korean Middle-Aged Men

Yesterday after work, I met up with my old Seoul National University friends for the first time in a long while. We are all middle-aged professionals. Two are married with children, and two of us are still single. Over soju, makgeolli, and endless anju, we spent the whole night talking about family, kids, work, and aging.

Then, unexpectedly, the conversation turned to BTS.

One of the friends is a lawyer. During SUGA’s incident two years ago, he helped me understand what was happening legally and what would likely happen next, which I later relayed to my ARMY friends who were anxious and confused.

Anyway, my lawyer friend suddenly brought up the footage of the enormous crowd gathered outside the Mexican Presidential Palace when BTS visited the president. He said that, in his life, he had only ever seen crowds like that for the Pope. The others had seen the clips too, and they were all amazed by it.

I am the only ARMY among us, but one friend casually listens to BTS songs, another has a wife who is a dedicated ARMY and attends every concert in Korea, and the last one mostly knows BTS through television and social media.

We talked about how much pride BTS has brought to Korea. And because we are all politically liberal, we also talked about how meaningful it feels to see BTS openly support values we believe in. They supported former Democratic president Moon Jae-in, went to the United Nations to speak about mental health, and have donated enormous amounts of money and time to good causes over the years. They also all fulfilled their mandatory military service honorably and with distinction.

I also brought up the recent backlash questioning BTS’s masculinity, and my friends could not understand it at all. They never viewed BTS as anything other than masculine men. We admire men who are hardworking, responsible, emotionally grounded, respectful toward others, and empathetic. BTS embodies those qualities. What is more masculine than that?

The same feeling exists in the Korean online community that I belong to. Most of the members are middle-aged professional men, and BTS is held in very high regard there too. And throughout the years, across more than a hundred posts about BTS, I have never seen anyone question their masculinity, humanity, or worth. Some of posts about BTS received over 5,000 views and over 100 comments, yet not once did I come across a negative comment about BTS.

Quite the opposite, actually. Some even jokingly call RM “hyung” because of how thoughtful and mature he comes across in his writing, speeches, and actions.

I can say this clearly: We middle-aged Korean men view BTS very positively and see them as unquestionably masculine. We see them as a source of national pride and as strong role models for younger generations.

[𓍯𝙎𝙟𝙢⊹𝙩𝙚𝙥𝙝 ⊹ꨄ @deantyjm]

STUNNING 🤩

[gallery of jimin @pjmngallery]

OMG JIMIN DOESN'T BELONG TO THIS WORLD!

[GLISTEN @GLISTEN_J]

#JIMIN

[🐩 ⋆˚࿔ @virgoshrtz]

namjoons speech … THIS IS FOR THE ONES WHO STAYED AND NEVER ONCE COMPLAINED ABOUT CHANGE!!! https://t.co/r6p2hTvr5m

[sen @sugatradamus]

namjoon cried during spring day 🥹

[눈부신 꾸기🎤 @JK_Glitters]

🐰There’s so many weird people…let’s say we are watching some video and I get to read some comments..then for real I’ve seen so many people beyond basic common sense. And I ask myself “wow really? Do they really think like that? So I click that comment and review the replies under it. Then I see the original commenter getting dragged and facing major backlash. Ahh that’s why a real-name policy should be enforced (on-line) That way they’ll learn the real consequences. See they’re all hiding behind. They’re hiding so they have no idea how scary things can become. The world these days…It’s really hard to understand. Or should I say that I don’t even want to get to know it? You know those virtual worlds right? Like in anime where you can fully dive in and actually live inside the game… If something like that ever comes out, I’d honestly just live there. Seriously…🥹

[Mari⁷ ☔ @armycloudave]

omgggg

[BTS_official @bts_bighit]

[#오늘의방탄]
260403 それSnow Manにやらせて下さいSP

#BTS #방탄소년단 #V #JungKook #それスノ #TBS

[BIGHIT MUSIC @BIGHIT_MUSIC]

BTS (방탄소년단) ‘ARIRANG’ Release

▶Global: https://t.co/atjnFi2HcT
▶멜론: https://t.co/N2PzVGVZta
▶지니: https://t.co/fWVxaKdqkd
▶FLO: https://t.co/CNEe3KUjeC
▶VIBE: https://t.co/rEqCtQ5ToD
▶벅스: https://t.co/QP0e2uRGVP

#BTS #방탄소년단 #BTS_ARIRANG

[💙 ᴮᴱ바다⁷ 💐 (SLOW) 💙 @eternalhyyh]

For those wondering what does "What is Your Love Song" have to do with Arirang: it's actually the foundation of it.

When Alice C. Fletcher first recorded Arirang sung by the Korean men using phonograph, she named it as "Love Song: Ar-ra-rang" based on what was heard and felt.

[Mari⁷ ☔ @armycloudave]

wowww my worlds 🫶🏻

[Carolyne🌱⁷⁼¹ SAW BTS @mhereonlyforbts]

THE FAMOUS THAI ACTOR AND SINGER JEFF SATUR MENTIONED BTS🥹🫶:

👤:I've been an ARMY for almost 10 years now… I really want to collaborate with BTS on a music project someday. It would be so cool to work with any of them it'd be such an interesting project. And honestly, I also dream of going on Run BTS but well, now that I'm on Running Man Thailand, maybe one day BTS can come guest on our show instead

[Carolyne🌱⁷⁼¹ SAW BTS @mhereonlyforbts]

THE FAMOUS THAI ACTOR AND SINGER JEFF SATUR MENTIONED BTS🥹🫶:

👤:I've been an ARMY for almost 10 years now… I really want to collaborate with BTS on a music project someday. It would be so cool to work with any of them it'd be such an interesting project. And honestly, I also dream of going on Run BTS but well, now that I'm on Running Man Thailand, maybe one day BTS can come guest on our show instead

[BTS_official @bts_bighit]

0309
Congratulations!

Happy SUGA Day 🎂
(https://t.co/aoYtvCBCM9)

#SUGA #슈가 #HAPPYSUGADAY

[Carolyne🌱⁷⁼¹ SAW BTS @mhereonlyforbts]

NOR NAMJOON MOM SENDING HIM THE VIDEO OF HIM DRIVING THINKING ITS AI LMAOO😭😭

👩:son is this ai??
👩:mmh...it looks real^^
🐨:mom it's real... it isn't ai

IM CRYING😂😭😭

[sab⁷ SAW TOMORROW LIVE☁️ @from_vante]

sometimes you've been in a fandom long enough to see things that have never happened before

[BTS_official @bts_bighit]

0218
Congratulations!

Happy j-hope Day 🎂

#제이홉 #jhope #HAPPYJHOPEDAY

[Mari⁷ ☔ @armycloudave]

@jeffsatur sir???

[BTS_official @bts_bighit]

1230
Congratulations!

Happy V Day 🎂
(https://t.co/f87A6DoSzN)

#뷔 #V #HAPPYVDAY

[sen @sugatradamus]

🐹 my members and babies.. i’ve seen all the members in their teens, 20s and 30s.. jungkook was 15 years old, jimin and taehyung 17 years old, namjoon and jhope 18 years old, i’ve seen yoongi since he was 19 years old.. it has been so long ugh my lovely babies

[BTS_official @bts_bighit]

1204
Congratulations!

Happy Jin Day 🎂
(https://t.co/wWsO5fpWUp)

#진 #Jin #HAPPYJINDAY