The renowned K-pop boy-band, BTS, addressed the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as the special presidential envoy for future generations, and expressed their hope for a better world despite the pandemic. They emphasised the youth’s ability to promote sustainable practices and make the world a better place to live. Their speech was followed by a performance of their hit song, Permission to Dance, at the UN headquarters in New York. This marks the band’s third appearance at the United Nations, following the ones in 2018 and 2020.
The Grammy-nominated band — comprising RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook, was introduced by Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea wherein he slyly reaffirmed the band’s popularity by saying that they are the most loved artists by people all around the world. This statement was shortly proven true as a whopping 1 lakh 60,000 people tuned in to watch them live.
In their speech, BTS spoke about the ‘Covid generation’, and the importance of a sustainable future, harping on the fact that “The future is unexplored territory and we will spend our time in it more than anyone.” It is an honour to be here today,” the group’s RM said through a translator. “We are BTS, appointed as special presidential envoys of the Republic of Korea. We are here today to share the stories of our future generations. Before we came here we asked young people in their teens and twenties around the world about the past two years and the world they find themselves in today.”
The group laid emphasis on getting vaccinated and closed the speech on a hopeful note: “We think the day we can meet again face to face is not far away.” / “We believe that every choice we make is the beginning of change. We hope that in this nascent new world we can all say to each other, Welcome!” The scene then transitioned into a pre-recorded performance of their song, Permission To Dance wherein the band can be seen dancing at the UN headquarters in New York.
