Why BTS made me cry
BTSź° ėė„¼ ģøź² ė§ė ģ“ģ
ā¦and not in a good way!
Dear BTS,
Before anything, Iād like to say to BTS, I love you and I have supported you for a long time. I am a Canadian ARMY.šš
Iām writing this after your four concerts in LA, because I am so painfully hurt. I chose not to post it until after RMās birthday out of respect for him.
When you decided to do a third of your Arirang concerts in the USA,[1] I told myself the concert schedule was all arranged before Trump started threatening his allies (Greenland, Canada, Mexico), before he attacked Venezuela (to steal their oil) and starved people in Cuba, and then started this illegal war in Iran, and before he removed defence security infrastructure from Korea.
But actions and words have consequences. I know for a fact that Iām not the only ARMY upset with you calling the USA your Second Home.[2] While ARMYs around the world are being killed by Americans, or starved, or losing their businesses, BTS is bringing billions of dollars to the American war machine with all those concerts. You cannot afford to be naĆÆve or say that you wish to remain apolitical. Your economic power is greater than many countries. [3] You could have cancelled some dates in the US. You could have spent more time in countries that havenāt had the pleasure of your concerts before. These are all choices (actions) that could have sent a positive signal.
While the rest of the world is boycotting the USA, you are telling all those other international ARMYs that American ARMYs are the only ones that matter ā both by action (one third of your concerts) and now in words.
I live in Canada ā which is geographically the second largest country in the world. You only held two concerts in Toronto (and no solo concerts). Did you forget your beginnings and how difficult it is for the average person to raise thousands of dollars to buy a ticket, and fly across an immense country [4] and pay for hotels ā that makes it almost impossible for so many of your supporters to come see you? I finally had the means to do so, and I consider myself extremely lucky that I could attend a concert in Toronto.
Yes, it might have been cheaper for me to fly to the USA and go to one of the numerous concerts there, than to go all the way to Toronto, but I stand by my words. I am boycotting the US because they are threatening my country. I would have loved to have seen more concerts. I would absolutely LOVE to see RMās art exhibit at SFMOMA,[5] but I wonāt go because I donāt want to be detained for months at the border (like many Canadians who have criticized Trump) or spend my money in a country that is killing innocent people in the Middle East.
Please consider how the ARMYs in Iran, Lebanon, Palestine and Cuba must feel when they hear those words from you. Even some Koreans may question your love affair with the USA now. I know that as a Canadian under constant threat by the USA, that I cried when I heard those words from my beloved BTS.
Americans donāt act like they are at war, they continue to go to the beach and party, as they rain down terror on countries far removed from its shores. Americans at home donāt feel the consequences like Koreans did during the war, and Americans voted for this President (twice), who has shamelessly increased Koreaās security risk.
I love you. I truly do ā but please start to consider how other ARMYs feel, the ones being impacted by American warmongering. There are so many countries and ARMYs around the world that support you and donāt have the financial means or the desire to travel to the US to see you. BTS, if you spent as much time, energy, money and devotion in any other country, Iām sure it would feel like a second home to you as well.
Sincerely, and with much love and respect,š
Debborah ā¤ļøšā¤ļø
[1] 26 of 88 concert dates for Arirang are in the USA. J-hope also did 1/3 (10 out of 33) of his āHope on the Stageā concert dates in the USA. Jin had 8 of 20 solo concerts in the USA. Suga did 11 of 28 solo shows in the USA.
[2] Sirikul, L. (2026) BTS āArirangā Takes Over Los Angeles With Concerts And Culture. Yahoo! Entertainment. Updated online September 6, 2026.
[3] There is even an economic term for the clout that BTS brings, āBangtan-nomicsā. See: Anukriti (2026) From K-Pop To GDP: The Economics Of BTS. StratNews Global. Posted online July 5, 2026.
Also, BTSā ARMY is estimated as being up to 40-60 million people (or more who may not have purchased official membership); but active military members worldwide is only around 27 million people. Trading Economics - World, Armed Forces Personnel, Total. Accessed September 11, 2026. That is a lot of power! BTS, please use your power for good.
[4] Canada is geographically almost 100x larger than Korea.
[5] RM x SFMOMA: Between You and Me. Upcoming Exhibition: October 3, 2026āFebruary 7, 2027. I truly hope that Kim Namjoon (RM) sends this art exhibit to any other country, so I could possibly have the chance to see it.
I highly recommend the following independent media on YouTube, if you are interested in what the issues are:
@LargeManAbroad (American talking about what is happening to America). Quote (below) from his video titled: Canada Minister LEAVES US Host STUNNED Into Silence: "You're on LIFE SUPPORT"
@DannyHaiphongYT (geopolitical analysis)
@GuardTheLeaf (Canadian perspective on Canada/US relations)
@realchris (Chris Norland - political analysis from Korea). See World tells Trump to get out.
āThe United States is actively trying to destroy Canada. It is trying to take Canada. Itās trying to violate their sovereignty to the point where Canada becomes the 51st State.ā
Feel free to leave (polite) comments below, including which country you are from. Thank you.
Your personal information is always protected and your email address will not be used. I will not approve abusive comments.
