South Korean supergroup BTS made history again last week when its first all-English song “Dynamite” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 chart. BTS is the first Korean act to achieve this, smashing the record set by Psy, whose hit “Gangnam Style” reached No. 2 in 2012. The group also boasts a total of four No. 1 albums on Billboard.
Asked if BTS felt like they have begun to earn more respect from the US, the group’s leader RM told AP: “We definitely feel that!” The group just won the Best Pop, Best K-pop, Best Group and Best Choreography awards at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards. Bit Hit Entertainment, its management agency, also announced two BTS concerts in Seoul next month.
Meanwhile, the company has been granted preliminary approval for an “initial public offering” (IPO). Once going public, its market value will surge to 4.6 trillion Korean won (about US$3.9 billion), higher than the total value of Korea’s three biggest agencies: JYP, SM and YG.
Photo: Chung Chih-chun, Liberty Times 照片：自由時報鍾志均
(Eddy Chang, Taipei Times)
南韓天團防彈少年團（BTS）於上週再度創下歷史，首支全英語新單曲《Dynamite》空降告示牌百大熱門單曲榜冠軍，打破韓國歌手Psy在二○一二年，以神曲《江南Style》創下的亞軍紀錄。該團還曾四度榮獲告示牌專輯榜冠軍。
當被問及他們是否覺得開始在美國得到更多的尊重時，隊長RM向美聯社表示：「我們的確是這麼認為！」該團剛在今年的MTV音樂錄影帶大獎上，勇奪最佳流行獎、最佳韓流獎、最佳團體獎和最佳編舞獎。BTS的經紀公司Big Hit娛樂則宣布，該團下個月將在首爾舉行兩場演唱會。
同時該公司所提交的「首次公開募股」（IPO）計畫已通過初審，一旦成功上市，Big Hit市值將達到四‧六兆韓元（三十九億美元），比南韓三大娛樂公司JYP、SM、YG的總市值還要高。
(台北時報張聖恩)
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