Never Another Jonghyun (In His Remembrance)

On this day last year, the Kpop world lost one of its most loved and promising musician- Kim Jonghyun. The Shinee singer and songwriter had a long and struggle filled battle against depression. He was found unconscious in a rented apartment by paramedics after his sister called the cops on receiving text messages from the singer with clear indication of possible suicide. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital. This news hit the entire industry and Kpop fans like a thunderbolt but also brought to light the increasing encroachment of depression and anxiety amongst idols.

Jonghyun left behind noteworthy songs like ‘Dejá-Boo’, ‘Breath’ and ‘Pretty Boy’ other than the twelve albums that he released along with the members of Shinee under the label of SM Entertainment. He was always involved in the production of the music of the band and also wrote and produced songs for his fellow singers such as IU, Lee Hi, Taemin and many more. He had started his solo career in 2015 with the release of his first solo album called ‘She Is’ and the second album ‘Poet | Artist’ was released posthumously in 2018.

The loss of such a talent makes us deliberate on the severe topic of depression and its tumorous growth amongst the idols we love and support so much. Depression is a condition where the person feels emotional burdened or down. Millions across the world are suffering from this condition which is the result of the stressful and demanding functioning of today’s society.

Idol group members have to go through strenuous physical regime and diet pre and post debut. This physical stress and psychological pressure could result in a vocal outburst or a depressive outburst. Here are nine other idols that opened up about suffering from psychological illness such as depression and anxiety.

1. G-Dragon (Big Bang)

G-dragon’s career is a national and international hit, bringing Kpop to the rest of the world. He is the lead rapper and songwriter of 'Big Bang' under YG Entertainment. His onscreen and onstage personality reflects a playful and sweet idol but GD has admitted to suffering from depression for a long time after allegations of plagiarism rose on his solo album ‘Heartbreaker’.

2.  Heechul (Super Junior)

We see Heechul laughing and pulling legs of the guests at Knowing Brothers show. But the singer had confessed to feeling depressed after Hankyung left Super Junior. Heechul missed out on all promotional activities for the next three months due to his depressive state. He was believed to be closest to Hankyung.

3. Suzy (Miss A)

Suzy opened up about depression on a live show, stating that she had to silently bear through depression as she could not speak out about it to anyone else. The sweet and cute Suzy renown for her singing and acting career had such a personal struggle too.

4. Baro (B14A)

Baro starred in Reply 1992 and grew so fond of the cast that after the filming was done and the cast had parted ways, he would feel melancholic and depressed without meeting them regularly.

5. Jinwoon (2AM)

In an interview for ‘Law of the Jungle’ aired by SBS, Jinwoon confessed that he felt extremely depressed and unmotivated after the group’s US tour in 2016. He spent a whole month without getting any sleep after coming back.

6. Taeyeon (Girl Generation)

The singer’s band members have often spoken about the singer’s quick change in mood and her exceeding interest in sad songs. The singer has accepted the fact that she indeed suffered from depression and found her escape through getting multiple piercing.

7. T.O.P (Big Bang)

The Big Bang rapper was seen frequently visiting the hospital in 2008. He suffered from anxiety and depression. The fans felt that it was due to overwork.

8. Lizzy (After School)

Stress caused due to rising rumours on her position in the running man show led Lizzy from After School girl group to face depression. It’s easy to crop up a rumour but we need to understand that people’s lives get affected by it.

9. Suga (BTS) 

The BTS rapper has admitted to suffering from social anxiety and depression. His song lyrics often spoke of this internal strife. In a radio interview in 2014, the rapper cum producer mentioned that he had to work extensively to lose weight pre-debut and suffered through depression due to the body standards set by the industry. His solo mixtape ‘Agust D’ also has lyrics that connoted his war with depression.

There is no question that today’s society is a hard place to survive. These idols go through so much hardship to make a mark in the industry, if we can’t support them, then don’t blame them either. It’s good to have expectations from our favourite band or our bias but we should also remember that they are human too and that they have their limits to just like us. Let’s make sure that there is never another Jonghyun.

As for us regular people, we need to stop setting the standards that are beyond reality. Instead, we should learn to appreciate what we have and love ourselves with our flaw. Because even the most beautiful person has flaws, maybe not visible ones. Above all, STOP judging others and STOP judging yourself by other’s standards. We are all different and our uniqueness makes us who we are. Let’s not lose anyone around us to depression.

“Please don’t forget about Jonghyun hyung until the end and forever…” – Minho, Shinee

#NeverAnotherJonghyun 

(I thoroughly enjoy Jonghyun’s songs, here are some of them I always have on my playlist- Breath (Written for Lee Hi), End of the day, Shinin’, Y Si Fuera Ella (cover of Alejandro Sanz), Playboy (written for EXO), Diphylleia Grayi and Cocktail)

Top 20 Strangest Islands On The Map

If you think where you live is a bizzare place and the people around are strange. Then here’s a list of islands that will give you the creeps. Some of these islands have characters that are stuff of the nightmare. Read at your own risk and be ready for the chills.

1.       Sable Island

Let’s start with the less scary one. Sable Island is governed by the Canadian Government. It is 175 kms away from Nova Scotia. The island is known for shipwrecks and is a host to horses. The estimated number of shipwrecks stands at 350 and the first noted shipwreck dates back to 1583. The island now has lighthouses on both the ends which have contributed to a decrease in the number of shipwrecks.

2.      Tashirojima Island

If you are a cat person then this is an island you should have on your bucket list. Tashirojima, a part of Japan, is also known as the 'Cat Island'. The cats outnumber human population by a 6 to 1 ratio. The history of the island states that the predecessors were into growing silk worms and had cats to fend off mice. Over time, the human population moved to cities and the cat population grew extensively. The island has a small cat shrine as well.

3.      Okunoshima Island

Also known as the “Rabbit Island”. On this island, rabbits could be seen hopping around and approaching the tourists visiting the island. This island was used to research and develop chemical weapons during the Russia-Japan war. Later, the rabbits used for testing were killed and the untested rabbits were left to habitat in the island. The island is now turned into a national park and still has the ten forts created during the war, but people are not allowed to enter those forts.

4.      The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

As the name suggest, this is not an island made of rocks or sand but purely of plastic waste that gets thrown in to the North Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon was first observed in 1950. The garbage from California and Hawaii is caught in the Pacific gyre to form the island. The density is so low that it doesn’t get detected in satellite imaging.

5.      Vulcan Point

Most people will simply describe it as an island within a lake within an island within an even bigger lake within a bigger island… well, I don’t even know if I got it right! But as the image shows, its like peeling an onion. The outer island is Luzon Islands inside which is the Taal Lake, this lake has a small volcano called Taal volcano, which has a Crater lake within this lake lies a small island called Vulcan Point. This island is governed by Philippines.

6.      Floating Islands

Floating islands are of two types- naturally made and artificial island. When naturally formed, it is usually a mix of aquatic flora, mud and other decomposable material merged together. The size of such islands vary based on the area in which it is formed.

Whereas the most famous example of artificial flooding island are the reed-used floating surface made by the Uros community at Lake Tticaca in Peru. The people of Uros live on such island, previously to be safe from any attack of neighbouring clans.

7.      Howland island

This island lies in the Central Pacific Ocean and is under the supervision of United States. The island is famous as this was where Amelia Earhart was supposed to land on her round the world expedition. But she never made it to the island as her aircraft disappeared on July 2, 1937. The island has a beacon named after her which was damaged during World War II.

8.      Poveglia Island

Well, now starts the real creepy islands. Poveglia Island was first spoken of in 421. In 1776, the island was used as a quarantine station for people suffering from sickness like plague. This span for over 100 years and later it was said that the island was made into a mental hospital. Some say that over 50% of the soil on the island has traces of human skeleton in it. The hospital was shut down in 1968 and since then the island has been deserted.

9.      Isla De Las Mulecas

Also known as the Island of Dolls is located in Mexico City. The tragic story dates back to 1950 when Don Julian Santana was the care-taker of this floating island. One day, it is said, that he found a little girl’s body floating on the canal. He couldn’t save her and being haunted by this thought, a couple of days later he found a doll floating on the water and though it must be the little girl’s. He hung it on a tree. Later he felt that the girl’s spirit was haunting the island and hence, he hung all the dolls on trees as he found them to keep the girl company. These dolls are mutilated and grotesque to see. In over half a century, he collected over 1500 dolls. This island is now a tourist attraction.

10.   Isolla Della Gaiola

This small island had only two isles forming the whole island but the curse stories are as big as a continent. It all started in 1800 when, it is said that, a wizard known as Il Mago came to live at the island. He lived there all by himself. Occasionally, some fishermen gave him some food, otherwise no one went near the island. One day he suddenly vanished as if he never existed. He was followed by Luigi de Negri who built a grand villa (the one in the image) but he soon suffered from financial issues.

The third victim was Hans Braun who lived on the island in 1920s. His murdered body was found wrapped in a carpet. His wife was found drowned soon after. The fourth owner died of a heart attack and the fifth killed himself in a mental hospital. The more recent one is the Fiat company owner, Gianni Agnelli, whose son committed suicide and his nephew died of a rare disease at a young age. Now the island is a part Gaiola Underwater Park.

11.    Partridge Island

Partridge Island or better known as the quarantine island as war and famine saw many European immigrants fleeing to North America. These immigrants travelled on sea for days before reaching the island, hence prone to carry disease and infection. Anyone who came to the island had to follow the rules of taking kerosene showers and washing their clothes in steaming hot water. The island had six cemeteries and anyone not adhering to the rules would find a place in one of the six.

In 1840, the potato famine had many Irish immigrants migrate through Partridge Island that gave the island title of “Canada’s Emerald Isle”. In 1927, George McArthur erected a 40-foot celtic cross. Later, his body was laid under it. The island is now under military of Canada and is accessible via private boat.

12.   Sacotra Island

This island lies to the south of Arabian Peninsula and is officially a part of Yemen. This island has flora and fauna that is not found anywhere else on earth. It is best described by visitors as the “most alien look place on earth”. A research team from America confirmed that Sacotra has around 700 endemic species of plants and creatures. The most observed plant is the Dragon Blood tree, which looks like a mushroom or an umbrella with red color sap which was said to be dragon blood in ancient times. Some other plants are Dorstenia Gigas, dendrosicyos socotranus, aloe perryi to name a few.

As for the fauna, Socotra Starling, Socotra Sunbird, Socotra Golden-winged Grosback are some of the unique species. Legless lizard, chameleon and spiders are also found on this island. Bats are the only native animal.

13.   Ilah da Queimada Grande

In English, Island of Snakes. This island is forbidden for any human admission as the island is home to some rare species of poisonous snakes with no anti-dot available. The estimated number of snakes on this island is around 4,000 and some so dangerous that a person could die within an hour from snake bite. The island was habited till 1920, when the island’s light house keeper and his family were killed by vipers. Now, only the Brazilian navy visits the island to stray away any wanderers and for maintenance work on the light house. For people with Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes), including me, should keep this island out of our trip list.

14.   Ramree Island

This island is another island that got famous due to war. During the World War II, many Japanese troops fell victim to the rampage of crocodiles infesting the Ramree Island. It is said that over a 1000 Japanese soldiers were eaten alive by the herd of crocodiles. This incident was incited due to a standoff between the British army and the Japanese army which went on for six week. In the end, the Japanese soldiers were fewer in number compared to the British army. Hence, they decided to flee in to the thick mangroves with full knowledge that the salt water crocodiles are known to eat humans.

15.   North Sentinel Island

This island is located at the Bay of Bengal and is the last uncontacted people in this world. The sentinels have lived on this island of over 6000 years and have successfully kept all outsiders at bay. Anyone who tries to approach the island is greeted with arrows and spears. The island is also known for cannibalism. Today, Indian government has declared North Sentinel Island as a sovereign entity and has left it undisturbed.

On November 17th,  2018, American citizen John Allen Chau made his seconds attempt to blend in with the Sentinelese and spread gospel to them. But this attempt became futile as the Christian missionary was shot with arrows and died before making it to the island. In his first attempt on a kayak, the arrow hit the kayak and the Bible he was carrying, destroying the kayak forcing Chau to return to safety. 

16.   Alcatraz Island

You might have heard this one in movies. The Alcatraz prison is as famous as any monument on earth, being home to the scariest of prisoners like Al Capone, Machine Gun Kelly, Robert Stroud to name a few. The island has a lighthouse, a military prison and a federal penitentiary.  Alcatraz is also famous for the grand escape of three inmates: Frank Morris, John and Clarence Anglin. The prison was shut down in 1963. The island is now a tourist sight under U.S. National Park Service.

17.   Hashima Island

Also known as Battleship Island (Gunkanjima), is under the Japanese government. It is almost 9 miles away from Nagasaki. The island was known for its undersea coal mines which operated from 1887 till 1974. During World War II, Korean and Chinese prisoners of war were forced to work as labourers. It is said that around a 1000 labourers have died on the island due to the gruelling weather and working condition, also they were not provided with enough food. While the island is now a tourist destination, what one cannot decide upon is whether to marvel at the early advancement of Japan in industrializing through coal or to despise the cruel and inhuman treatment  received by the forced labourers.

18.   Vozrozhdeniya island

This island is under the Soviet Union and is tagged for its biochemical weapon-making history. In 1920s, this island was chosen by the soviet government to create and test biochemical weapons for warfare.  In 1948, a laboratory named as Aralsk-7 was erected on the island. The island inhabited only the scientists and the people contributing to the research along with their family. Other structures on the island were a stadium, a club, school and a couple of stores.

While the structures made it feel like any normal town, some of the deadliest pathogens such as plague, anthrax, smallpox, brucellosis, tularemia, botulinum, among others were recreated with a resistance to the existing medication. The scientists would expose monkeys to these pathogens and wait till they die in a couple of weeks to perform autopsies on them.

It is said that when the Russians left in 1972, they burnt most of the pathogens. But in 2000, U.S along with Uzbekistan set several other buildings on fire. According to scientists, most pathogens would have died in fire or in the scorching heat of summer where the temperature raises upto 60°. Some of the scientists that worked in those labs have said that bubonic plague bacteria and anthrax pathogen could survive for centuries even under the harsh climatic conditions.

19.   Palmyra Island

There are ample of scary stories around this island to give you the spooks. While history notes shipwrecks and ship disappearance, the most famous one is the twin murder of the Graham couple. Malcolm Graham III and his wife, Eleanor LeVarne Graham, better known as Mac and Muff among friends and family. They decided to take a two-year halt at Palmyra island before continuing their voyage on their boat called “Sea Wind”. Though, Muff was against the idea, after knowing the history of the island, Mac insisted on sticking to the plan. When the couples reached the island, there were other voyagers residing on the small island. With the entry of Buck Walker and Stephanie Sternes, the peace on the island was almost lost as their three dogs would always pounce to bite anyone other than its owners. Soon enough most of the others left and Muff begged Mac to live the place but he didn’t approve. After a couple of month, the family and friends of the Graham couple started worrying when there was no radio communication from the couple for a long time.

A friend and pilot, Martin Vitousek, flew over the island a couple of times and came back with the news that the island looks deserted like there was nobody ever on that island. In October of 1974, Walker and Sternes were arrested at a harbour in Hawaii as the boat they came in looked a lot similar to Sea Wind. The couples were charged with theft of ship and the Graham couples were yet considered missing. I wish the story ends here but the spooky part just began as six years later, a South African couple Robert and Sharon Jordon found a shrine on the island dedicated with newspaper clips of the missing Graham couple. A few days later, Sharon found a container and next to it was a skull and some fragments of bone. Upon testing it was found to be the remains of Muff Graham. An expert later claimed that the remains would have been washed out to the sea due to the high tide that was to happen just 20 minutes from when the remains were discovered.

Apparently, she was killed, dismembered, burnt and then stuffed into the container. Walker was charged with the murder of Muff, and Mac’s remains are still not found. During the trial, another voyager, who stayed at the island at the same time as the Graham couple, found specific charts pertaining to Palmyra island washed onto the shore of Puget Sound while taking a walk. According to the friends whom Muff had written letters to, she had mentioned that the island had an eerie feel to it and that she wanted to leave immediately.

20.  Christmas Island

To end on a much less spookier note and to not have any of my readers go sleepless from trauma, here’s an island that is weird and funny at the same time. Christmas Island lies on the Indian Ocean under the Australian territory. The island is like most usual island through the year except during October or November, which is the beginning of wet season, when the adult Red Crab suddenly starts to migrate from forest to the coast in order to bread and lay eggs. They all move in a synchronized manner and is quite unique to watch due to the large queues of red found walking down the road. The island has around 14 different types of crabs. I’m not sure if they are used for eating purposes too.

So now that you know of some of the strangest places on earth, which ones gave you the chills and which ones made it to your trip list? Make a smart choice.

Netizens Vs Korean/ Japanese Artists On Crossing the Sentiments on Korea-Japan Relationship

The latest controversy comes from iKon’s Junhoe over his post on Instagram thanking Japanese Comedian Kitano Takeshi for his gift. The Netizens were furious after Junhoe replied to a fan comment stating not to order him what to do but later, he apologized. This is not the first instance of Netizens getting furious over idols extending support or admiration towards Japanese artists.

Korea and Japan have seen a long political and historical conflict with history noting the vicious reign of Japan over Korea. Even though it has been years since Korea attained liberation, there have been instances when Japanese artist have expressed hate comments toward Korea. Hence, Netizens are sensitive towards Korean idols and artist who speak in support of such Japanese artists.

Below is a list of instances of the bitter-bitter relationship of Netizens and Korean/ Japanese artists on being insensitive.

1.       Netizens Vs iKon Junhoe

On September 22, 2018 the iKon vocalist Junhoe posted a photo of a bag with KITANOBLUE written on it. It was a gift from Japanese Comedian and actor Kitano Takeshi from his online store by the name KITANOBLUE. The singer wrote, “Kitano Takeshi-san thank you. Please come to ikon concert”.

To this a fan replied that the Japanese Comedian had a history of hatred towards Korea. Junhoe took a stance against the fan and in support of Takeshi, which was not welcomed by the netizens. Leading to a lot of hate comments coming in response. This controversy has sparked ahead of a comeback by iKon with their new album ‘New Kids: The Final’ on October 10.

On September 26, 2018 Junhoe came out with an apology urging the fans to forgive him for his harsh comment and continue to extend their support to their upcoming album.

2.       Netizens Vs Twice (Momo, Sana and Mina)

On June 11, 2018 the Japanese members of Twice group did a Vlive were they started conversing with each other in Japanese instead of Korean. The pajama party soon became uncomfortable with most of the Vlive users being Korean, certain fans shared their disapproval of the girls choosing to speak in Japanese. This instances still sees the middle ground as most fans were not offended by these members speaking in Japanese and requested the other fans to calm down.

3.       Netizens Vs Tano Yuka

This is a classic case of being loud mouth. In early February 2018, Tano Yuka did Instagram live when a fan asked if she had plastic surgery done on her eyes. She denied it and went on to blurting comments like “Everyone who visits South Korea has undergone surgery. I hate those people who love Korea”. She also added, “I hate Japanese who like Korea. Like… I hate those people who try to be Korean”. She also spoke against wearing makeup in Korean way and also people using Korean on their social media profiles.

These remarks certainly did not set well with the Korean netizens who expressed their rage and hence, resulting in the singer of AKB48 apologising to the fans via twitter.

4.       Netizens Vs Sulli

On August 13, 2018 Korean singer Sulli posted an image of ‘Memorial Day For Japanese Forces’ Comfort Women’ which was to be celebrated on August 14. The day is to commemorate women who were forced to be sex slaves for Japanese army forces. The post was put up without any caption but the Japanese netizens were furious and left comments asking her to not visit Japan. While the Korean netizens stood in support of Sulli.

5.       Netizens Vs SNSD’s Tiffany

On August 15, 2016 which is celebrated as Korean Independence Day, SNSD vocalist Tiffany updated with an image of her being backstage during their ‘SM Town Live World Tour V’. The image was edited with the Rising Sun Flag and a heart for caption. This hurt the sentiments of the Korean netizens and Tiffany had to hear hateful comments regarding it. Though there was no apology from the idol, she did edit the post to remove the caption on the image.

6.       Netizens Vs Block B’s P.O.

On August 15, 2015 Block B performed at the 70^th Korean Independence Day celebration at Seoul. The band’s vocalist P.O’s outfit onstage caught the attention of the netizens as it had Japanese inscription stating “No Problem”. This was indirectly connoted as Japanese invasion Korea was not a problem. This sparked fumes of criticism from netizens leading to Seven Seasons (their record label) and P.O. both apologising to the fans.

7.       Netizens Vs Girls Day’s Hye Ri

In April, 2012 Girl’s day vocalist Hye Ri was seen wearing a t-shirt with the print- My t-shirt helps Japan, along with a the pattern of the Rising Sun Flag in a heart during a rehearsal in Korea. The t-shirt was gifted to her by an overseas fan for their free performance to aid after the earthquakes in Japan. After the images went viral, the singer had to face criticism resulting in Dream Tea Entertainment sending out a public apology.

8.       Netizens Vs BTS

BTS had recently released the tracklist on their upcoming Japanese album which included a song called ‘Bird’ that sparked controversy. The song was written by Akimoto Yasushi who is a prominent songwriter in Japan but also has the history of making outrageous comments against Korea regarding the colonization by Japan. After netizens threating to boycott the album, a revised tracklist was posted with ‘Bird’ being cut out of the list.

Well, this list clearly shows there is no immature approach to the event of Japanese occupation of Korea. The fans are sentimental towards the issue and any artist taking a light approach will have to face fire from netizens. I hope and urge all my reader to not spread hate comments against any country. Each of them have fought their way to attain freedom, hence we should respect the sentiments of their citizens. 

BTS the first Korean Music Group to Speak at United Nations

BTS continue to make history as they attended the United Nations’ 73^rd General Assembly on September 24, 2018 (Monday) and spoke of their “Love Yourself” campaign which was started along with UNICEF followed by a series of album released under the same title. The group have been promoting the notion of ‘Loving oneself before loving others’. In RM’s own words, “Loving others first starts from loving ourselves”.

The “Love Yourself” campaign is focused on violence against children and teenagers and was started in November 2017. All the member of the group stood by as RM, who being the group leader became the voice of BTS. His speech urged people to speak up and that they were ready to hear the stories regardless of the speaker’s race, gender or geography.

The full speech as delivered by RM:

“I’d like to begin by talking about myself. I was born in Ilsan, a city near Seoul, South Korea. It is a really beautiful place with a lake, hills, and even an annual flower festival. I spent a very happy childhood there, and I was just an ordinary boy. I used to look up at the night sky and wonder, and I used to dream the dreams of a boy. I used to imagine that I was a super hero who could save the world. In an intro to one of our early albums, there’s a line that says, ‘My heart stopped when I was maybe nine or ten.’ Looking back, I think that’s when I began to worry about what other people thought of me, and started seeing myself through their eyes. I stopped looking up at the night skies, the stars. I stopped daydreaming. Instead, I just tried to jam myself into the molds that other people made. Soon, I began to shut out my own voice, and started to listen to the voices of others. No one called out my name, and neither did I. My heart stopped, and my eyes closed shut. So, like this, I, we, all lost our names. We became like ghosts.

But I had one sensory, and that was music. There was a small voice inside of me that said, ‘Wake up, man, and listen to yourself.’ But it took me a long time to hear music calling my real name. Even after making the decision to join BTS, there were a lot of hurdles. Some people may not believe, but most people thought we were hopeless. Sometimes I just wanted to quit. But I think I was very lucky that I didn’t give it all up. And I’m sure that I, and we, will keep stumbling and falling like this. BTS has become artists performing in those huge stadiums and selling millions of albums right now, but I am still an ordinary 24-year-old guy. If there’s anything that I achieved, it was only possible that I have my other BTS members right by my side, and because of the love and support that our ARMY fans all over the world make for us. And maybe I made a mistake yesterday, but yesterday’s me is still me. Today, I am who I am with all of my faults and my mistakes. Tomorrow, I might be a tiny bit wiser, and that’ll be me too. These faults and mistakes are what I am, making up the brightest stars in the constellation of my life. I have come to love myself for who I am, for who I was, and for who I hope to become.

I’d like to say one last thing: After releasing our Love Yourself albums and launching the ‘Love Myself’ campaign, we started to hear remarkable stories from our fans all over the world. How our message helped them overcome their hardships in life and start loving themselves. Those stories constantly remind us of our responsibility. So let’s take all one more step. We have learned to love ourselves, so now I urge you to speak yourself. I’d like to ask all of you, What is your name? What excites you and makes your heart beat? Tell me your story. I want to hear your voice, and I want to hear your conviction. No matter who you are, where you’re from, your skin color, your gender identity, just speak yourself. Find your name and find your voice by speaking yourself. I’m Kim Nam-joon, and also RM of BTS. I am an idol, and I am an artist from a small town in Korea. Like most people, I’ve made many and plenty mistakes in my life. I have many faults, and I have many more fears, but I’m going to embrace myself as hard as I can, and I’m starting to love myself gradually, just little by little. What is your name? Speak yourself. Thank you very much".

BTS have been healing people with their music and now they are strengthening their fans and ordinary people to stand strong against violence. On a personal note as an ARMY, I feel proud of everything these boys have achieved through their music. They surely are changing the world view, one person at a time.

Here are some highlight moments from the event: