Amid busy diplomatic talks with North Korea and the US, South Korean president Moon Jae-in took to his official social media account to congratulate BTS for reaching the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart.

On Monday, President Moon shared a statement, written in English, on his official Facebook account to express his excitement over the K-pop group’s recent achievement on the chart. BTS on Monday debuted its “Love Yourself: Tear” album at No. 1 on the competitive tally, becoming the first K-pop group to lead the chart.  

Below is Moon’s full statement.

“Congratulations to the Seven Music-loving Boys and Their Wings, ‘ARMY’! The songs, dance, dreams and enthusiasm of BTS energized and gave strength to young people around the world. I congratulate BTS on topping the Billboard 200 with their album titled ‘Love Yourself 轉 Tear’. This is the first ever Korean album to claim the top spot, and also the first non-English album to do so in 12 years. 

“At the very heart of BTS’ outstanding dancing and singing is sincerity. This magical power turns grief into hope and differences into similarity. Each of the seven members sings in a way that is true to himself and the life he wants to live. Their melody and lyrics transcend regional borders, language, culture, and institutions.

“Bangtan, which literally means bulletproof in Korean, was born out of the will to protect teenagers from prejudice and oppression. The names of each member-- Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V and Jungkook -- are going to be remembered for a long time. Thank you to BTS for spreading joy across Korea and the world with your great performances.”

Bang Si-hyuk, producer-CEO of Big Hit Entertainment, the agency of the K-pop heavyweight, replied to the statement by retweeting its Korean version that was shared on Moon’s Twitter.

(lotus@heraldcorp.com)