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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat

BTS Absence Hurting Global K-Pop Growth, Says HYBE Chairman

BTS HYBE Bang Sihyuk South Korea ARMYs JHope Economy
In this file photo taken on January 15, 2019, South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys, pose on the red carpet at the 28th Seoul Music Awards in Seoul. (AFP)

Making megastars BTS do their South Korean military service is slowing the global growth of K-pop, the chairman of the septet's agency HYBE said Wednesday.

The boyband are widely considered South Korea's biggest-ever cultural phenomenon, selling out stadiums around the world and dominating the charts while raking in billions for the country's economy and building a global legion of fans known as ARMYs.

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