Hye Jin Lee

“That’s a very different position from where they were five or six years ago.”

Hye Jin Lee · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31

Lee contrasted BTS' current position with where they were five or six years ago.

“HYBE made it clear that this was BTS’ decision and that other artists under the label are free to make their own choices. More importantly though, there simply aren’t many Korean or Asian artists with BTS’ level of global influence at the moment. Even if another artist made the same decision, I’m not convinced it would generate the same level of discussion.”

Hye Jin Lee · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31

Lee explained that HYBE made clear other artists are free to make their own choices and that few Asian artists have BTS' level of global influence.

“To me, [BTS’ decision] signals that they have reached a point in their career where they no longer feel the need to seek validation from Western institutions,”

Hye Jin Lee · said date not stated · reported 2026-07-31

Professor Hye Jin Lee told Rolling Stone that BTS' decision signals they no longer feel the need to seek validation from Western institutions.