On October 29, HYBE President Bang Si Hyuk and BTS leader - RM (Kim Nam Joon) attended the opening ceremony of the APEC 2025 CEO Summit, held at Gyeongju Arts Center (Korea).
After visiting HYBE's promotional booth with President Bang Si Hyuk, on the same afternoon, RM gave a 10-minute speech at the meeting on "Creative industry and the soft power of Korean culture in the APEC region". This is the first time a K-pop artist has been chosen as the main speaker at this event.
At the beginning of his speech, RM expressed his honor to be present at the forum, which gathered key figures leading APEC, right in South Korea - his homeland.
As a creative person, I deeply feel the pride and excitement, especially as this year cultural industry is included in the APEC key agenda for the first time, RM emphasized.
RM admitted that he was overly lucky to have met 6 members of BTS, met producer Hitman Bang (Bang Si Hyuk) - who always gave him persistent support to be able to pursue music wholeheartedly.
In particular, RM is grateful to ARMY - the global BTS fan community - who always accept the group's music not only as a form of entertainment, but as a "language of life".
RM recalled 10 years ago, when Korean music in general and BTS music in particular were classified as "non-English cultural" groups, having difficulty appearing on international platforms and global stages.
To create opportunities for themselves, BTS sang and danced on the streets, giving out leaflets to invite them to the free performance. But they still face challenges when many people do not know where BTS comes from, which region of Korea.
The leader of BTS said that ARMY's "crossing tolerance" and " Strong solidarity" helped BTS achieve today's achievements.
ARMY has used BTSs music as a bridge across borders, language and culture. They are inspired by our music messages, fundraising, social campaigns and inspiring the world.
From those who were once considered Asian minority culture supporters, ARMY has become a global community, bringing new vitality to the world cultural market, RM said of the importance of the fan community to BTS.
Explaining why K-pop can create a cohesive and influential community, RM believes the secret lies in its unique combined principle.
The male singer compared Kpop to bibimbap - a traditional Korean mix: Bibimbap is a combination of rice, vegetables, meat and spices, all blended together to create a harmonious whole. Kpop is like that, it tolerates Western music elements such as hip-hop, R&B, EDM, blending with aesthetics, emotions and Korean spirit to create new values.
Kpop is not just a music genre, but a combination of music, choreography, visual style, MV, story and even social networks.
Kpop's success does not come from honoring a single culture, but from both preserving Korean cultural identity and respecting and absorbing global culture."
As an artist of this era, RM called on APEC leaders to continue to support, invest and create opportunities for future generations of creativity.
Culture and art are the strongest driving force, the fastest way to convey the value of diversity and tolerance. Your policies and vision will be the foundation for creators around the world to freely promote their talents, shine freely and touch the hearts of the world, said RM.
