Essay

K-pop and the ‘Yellow Peril’: Western media’s mistreatment of BTS

BTS has become arguably the biggest Korean music group reaching commercial and critical acclaim worldwide. However, despite these achievements, BTS has struggled to become accepted as artists within western culture and media being met with xenophobia and prejudice due to the devaluation of K-pop as well as anti-Asian sentiments. In this essay, I will argue that the reason that western media mistreats BTS is due to deeply rooted anti-Asian sentiment through examining some of the ways western media has mistreated BTS, the historical contexts of anti-Asian sentiments within western society and how these contexts devalue BTS and K-pop within western culture and media.