How popular is BTS in Korea? Let me give you the short answer first.
Yes, BTS is extremely popular in Korea.
But if you’re imagining that every Korean is an ARMY, listens to BTS every day, or would name BTS as their favorite idol group, the reality is a little more complicated.
BTS is enormously famous here. They have a huge fandom, and even Koreans who aren’t fans often recognize what they’ve accomplished around the world.
But being famous, being respected, having a massive fandom, and being everyone’s favorite artist are not exactly the same thing.
I’ve lived in Korea for more than four decades, and I’ve never been particularly interested in idol groups.
So maybe my perspective on BTS is a little different from what you’d hear from an ARMY.
I Actually Laughed When I First Heard the Name “Bangtan Sonyeondan”
BTS debuted in 2013.
Since I’ve never followed idols very closely, I don’t usually pay attention to when a new group debuts or which song suddenly becomes popular.
So when I first heard about a new idol group called Bangtan Sonyeondan, I didn’t think much of it.
What caught my attention was the name.
In Korean, bangtan is a word associated with stopping bullets.
A bulletproof vest is bangtan-jokki.
Bulletproof glass is bangtan-yuri.
So when I first heard “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” my immediate reaction was something like:
“Bulletproof? What exactly are these boys planning to stop?”
And then there was sonyeondan — literally, a group of boys.
I smiled and thought,
Well, that’s an interesting name for an idol group.
That was about it.
I had absolutely no idea that this strange-sounding name would eventually become one of the most recognizable names to ever come out of Korea.
I Didn’t Even Know BTS Was Bangtan Sonyeondan
Sometime later, I remember seeing news about a Korean idol group getting attention overseas.
People were talking about how impressive their synchronized dancing and performances were.
The group’s name was BTS.
I remember thinking,
Another Korean idol group is doing well overseas. That’s nice.
It actually took me a few days to realize something.
BTS was Bangtan Sonyeondan.
Surprising?
Here’s the more embarrassing part.
I’m Korean.
That’s how little attention I paid to idol groups at the time.
But before long, even someone like me couldn’t avoid hearing about BTS.
Then BTS Just Kept Getting Bigger
In Korea, celebrities can become incredibly popular very quickly.
An actor appears in a hit drama and suddenly you see that person everywhere.
A singer releases a huge song and, for a while, you hear it everywhere you go.
That doesn’t mean those stars suddenly become unpopular afterward.
It’s just that public attention keeps moving.
There’s always another drama, another song and another celebrity waiting to become the next big thing.
So when I first heard about BTS becoming successful overseas, I think I assumed something similar would happen.
Wow. That’s impressive.
And then…
They didn’t disappear.
Another story came out about BTS setting a record.
Then another about sold-out concerts.
Then Billboard.
Then another record.
And another.
I still remember how surprised Koreans were when PSY’s Gangnam Style exploded around the world.
But BTS felt different to me.
It wasn’t one enormous international hit followed by silence.
It just kept going.
At some point, even I had to admit:
These guys really are something special.
So, How Popular Is BTS in Korea Today?
This is where my own experience might tell you something.
I’m in my 40s.
I’m not an ARMY.
I don’t actively follow idol groups.
And yet, if I hear many BTS songs somewhere, I know they’re BTS.
I probably can’t tell you every song title, and I certainly can’t sing along to all of them.
But I recognize the music.
If BTS members appear in YouTube Shorts, Korean TV or other videos, I usually recognize them too.
And remember:
I’m not even a BTS fan.
Maybe that tells you something about how famous BTS actually is in Korea.
If a Korean man in his 40s who doesn’t follow idols knows this much about them, their reach obviously goes far beyond their core fandom.
Popular? Absolutely. Korea’s No. 1 Idol? That’s More Complicated.
There should be no misunderstanding here.
BTS is massively popular in Korea.
Their 2026 comeback made that very clear.
Their lead single “SWIM” went straight to No. 1 on Melon’s Top 100, one of Korea’s major music charts. Their comeback album ARIRANG sold about 3.98 million copies on its first day.
They were also able to turn Gwanghwamun Square, one of the most symbolic places in central Seoul, into the stage for a huge comeback performance.
The concert was livestreamed worldwide on Netflix and attracted 18.4 million viewers. It reached Netflix’s Top 10 in 80 countries and No. 1 in 24.
Very few Korean artists could create an event on that scale.
But let’s change the question slightly.
Does that mean BTS is automatically every Korean’s No. 1 idol group?
I don’t think so.
Korea has an enormous idol industry.
We have countless boy groups and girl groups, solo singers, new groups debuting constantly, and different generations with completely different musical tastes.
Artists who appear frequently on Korean television can sometimes feel more visible in everyday life here as well.
So the world’s most famous K-pop group and the idol an individual Korean likes the most don’t necessarily have to be the same.
I think that’s an important distinction.
What People Around Me Actually Say
Not long ago, this subject actually came up in conversations with people I know.
I asked a simple question:
“Who’s your favorite idol these days?”
This was not a survey.
I didn’t carefully select participants by age or gender.
I was simply talking to people around me.
From those casual conversations, my impression was that maybe one or two people out of ten would name BTS as their current favorite.
Let me emphasize this:
That is absolutely not scientific data.
It’s just my personal observation from a very small group of people around me in Korea.
Different ages, genders or social circles could produce completely different answers.
But something about those conversations was interesting.
Ask:
“Is BTS impressive?”
and many people will say yes.
Ask:
“Is BTS your favorite idol?”
and you may hear a completely different name.
To me, the difference between those two questions explains something important about BTS’s position in Korea.
BTS’s Popularity in Korea Is Different From Its Popularity Overseas
For someone discovering Korean music from abroad, the journey might look something like this:
K-pop → BTS
Maybe BTS introduces you to Korean music, and from there you discover other Korean artists.
For Koreans, it works differently.
We grow up surrounded by Korean music.
There are idol groups, ballad singers, hip-hop artists, rock musicians, trot singers and everything in between.
BTS exists inside that enormous music culture.
So the space BTS occupies in an overseas K-pop fan’s musical world doesn’t necessarily look the same as the space BTS occupies in the everyday listening habits of an average Korean.
That may be one reason BTS can sometimes feel even more dominant when viewed from outside Korea.
But that doesn’t mean their importance inside Korea is smaller.
There’s another part of their popularity that’s harder to measure with a music chart.
And Then There’s the Respect
I’m not someone who buys every BTS album.
I don’t go to their concerts.
But when I look at what they’ve accomplished around the world, I respect it.
Their dancing, vocals, synchronization, stage presence and showmanship are difficult to dismiss.
And keeping seven members together through that level of global success for so long is impressive in itself.
There’s also a very recent example.
In July 2026, BTS announced that they would not submit music for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards, amid controversy over the creation of a new Asian pop category.
The group said it hoped music could be heard and loved for what it is rather than being categorized by region or language.
From the Korean news coverage and conversations I’ve seen around me, there are people who respect that decision.
I do too.
And that has nothing to do with whether I’m an ARMY.
Liking an artist and respecting what an artist has accomplished are two different things.
BTS seems to have achieved both in Korea.
Korea Has Always Loved Music and Dance
There’s an old Korean expression: eumju-gamu.
It literally refers to drinking, singing and dancing.
It’s an expression Koreans sometimes use when talking about our fondness for getting together, singing and dancing.
When I was a child, I remember thinking of trot as the music adults listened to.
Idol music belonged to young people.
That’s much less true today.
I’m in my 40s and I listen to idol music.
It’s no longer strange for people in their 50s to know or enjoy songs by younger artists.
YouTube, short-form videos, TV entertainment shows and streaming services constantly expose people of different generations to new music.
And inside that environment, Korea has an incredible number of idol groups competing for attention.
BTS started in that crowded world and eventually became one of the biggest musical acts on the planet.
When I think about it that way, their success may be even more impressive.
So, How Popular Is BTS Really in Korea?
Let’s return to the original question.
BTS is huge in Korea.
Their fandom is enormous, almost everyone knows who they are, and their international achievements have given them a level of recognition that goes beyond ordinary idol popularity.
But not every Korean is an ARMY.
Not every Korean would name BTS as their favorite idol.
And being one of the biggest K-pop groups in the world doesn’t mean BTS will always be No. 1 in every Korean popularity ranking at every moment.
Korea simply has too many singers, idol groups and fandoms for that.
Maybe the best answer I can give you is myself.
I’m not an ARMY.
I’m a Korean man in my 40s who doesn’t even pay much attention to idol groups.
Yet I recognize BTS songs.
I recognize the members.
I know V is ridiculously handsome.
And when j-hope shows up on a Korean variety show, I sometimes find him surprisingly adorable.
Maybe that’s the most realistic answer I can give you about how popular BTS really is in Korea.
So now I’m curious.
Who’s your favorite K-pop idol?
And was BTS’s popularity inside Korea different from what you expected?