The International Society for BTS Studies (ISBS) and Universiti Malaya are pleased to announce that the Fourth BTS Global Interdisciplinary conference will be held on 16-18 August 2023 at the University of Malaya and the National Art Gallery, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are two themes for this year’s conference, “BTS in Southeast Asia” and “BTS and the Future.”

It is no exaggeration to say that BTS has been widely popular around the world. But when it comes to the discourse on the impact and reach of BTS, Southeast Asia countries have been too often overlooked by scholars and the media. In this respect, the Fourth BTS Interdisciplinary conference will shine a light on this region and explore the important developments and changes that are taking place among its fandom. By undertaking such a trial, this conference will contribute toward enlarging the scope of the interdisciplinary studies on BTS.

The future of BTS is at an interesting juncture. Since June 2022, the band has stopped its group activities due to its members having to undertake the mandatory military service for all males in Korea. Despite this absence, its legacy remains in the heart of its international fan base known as the ARMY. What is the future for BTS? Or what is the group’s influence upon the future? What about the future of its fan base, particularly the ARMY? Answering these questions on BTS and the Future will provide insightful findings that can be shared academically among aca-fans.

This conference will aim to share research that will expand the scope and the horizon of BTS studies. It will also help to further friendships and establish an academic network, both of which will create a strong sense of community that will extend into the future.

The registration fee is 500RM/person (around USD110) for presenters and 300RM/person (around USD70) for conference participants and students; the registration deadline is 31 July, 2023. 

On-site registration can be possible only at the venue on 16-18 August; RM600 (around USD130) for presenters and RM400 (around USD85) for conference participants and students; Only cash is accepatable.

To register, please click here.

Please be careful that once the registration fee is paid, it cannot be reimbursed.

Program (PDF version)

Aug. 15: Pre-conference (Invitees only)

Aug. 16: Day 1 (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM)

8:30-9:00 Registration

9:00-9:20 Opening Remarks

Associate Professor Dr. Jimmyn Parc/ Chairman of Organizing Committee 

9:20-9:40 Congratulatory Remarks

Datuk Prof. Dr. Danny Wong Tze Ken/ Dean of Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya 

9:40-10:10 Keynote speech

Dr. Colette Balmain/ Lecturer, Kingston University (Chairman of Organizing Committee for the 1st BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference) 

10:10-10:30 Coffee break (all participants)

10:30-12:00 Session 1: Moderator-Nasrudin Md Akhir

· Transitioning from the Stage to the Barracks: Exploring the Impact of Military Service on BTS Army’s Consumer Behavior/ Franchesca Nicole Collantes, Paula Sharmaine M. Delos Santos, Guanlun Hu, Kristine Joy Ramos, and Isabelle B. Santiago

· Masculinity as Vulnerability:  Resisting militarization/ Collette Balmain

· The BTS’s new Path and Roles on “Take Two”/ Jung Eun Song

12:00-13:00 Lunch (all participants)

13:00-14:30 Sessions 2

Session 2-A: Moderator-Martriana P. Said

· Exploring the Themes of Mental Health and Wellbeing Messages: A Content Analysis of BTS Music/ Brahmmakumari Balaraman

· “BTS Finds You at Your Lowest” - A Study on How BTS Facilitates Mental Health Conversations in the Indian Fandom/ Varsha Narayanan

· BTS and the Self: Understanding Psychological Concepts Through the BTS Members’ Songs/ Maria Bernadett Carandang, Julianna Maria Garcia, and Jenny Lind Rubio

(Panel) Session 2-B

· BTS A.C.H.E. Initiative: The Act of BE:COMING/ Charmaine G. Salido, Jefferson J. Acala, Anna Marie H. Bautista

14:30-16:00 Sessions 3

Session 3-A: Moderator-Jimmyn Parc

· A Comparative Study on the Subjectivity of Speakers by Gender in K-Pop Idol Songs: Focusing on the Mission Songs of the Idol Survival Audition Program from 2016 to 2022/ Sinhye Nam and Soong-beum Ahn

· BTS's Empowering Influence on Overcoming Adversity and Embracing the Future/ Khairunnisa Rahmaditia Adita

· Love Yourself: A successful trending BTS campaign in encouraging future generation self-acceptance values/ Nurul Hamizah Mohamed and Nurul Hazwani Mohamed 

Session 3-B: Moderator-Carol Geraldine Pablo

· I’m Feeling Lonely, so Save Me: BTS and the Future of Music Marketing/ Jennicka Rhea Leorag

· A Study on the Characteristics of K-pop Documentary on OTT Platform: Focusing on the BTS Documentary/ Tae-hyun Baek

· Bring The (Synthetic) Sound: The Ethical Future of BTS and Artificial Intelligence/ Karlina Octaviany

16:00-16:20 Coffee break (all participants)

16:20-17:50 Sessions 4

Session 4-A: Moderator-Jung Eun Song

· It Does Not Reflect on Me: The Pseudo Happiness as Song Strategy’s Simulacra versus Panoptic Arena/ Fitria Angeliqa and Fizzy Andriani

· K-pop as a History of Audience: Origins and Motives of Active Characteristics Shown by BTS Fandom/ Tae-ryong Kim

· Post-group Hiatus Announcement: Optimisation of Translanguaging and Multimodal Communication by BTS/ Nik Soffiya Nik Mat 

Session 4-B: Moderator-Karlina Octaviany

· The Roots of Expression of Self-consciousness in BTS Songs: Relationship with Poetics of Korean Writers in the 18th and 19th Centuries/ Ji-young Joo

· Correlation Study between US Media Industry and BTS/ Jean (Jang Hyuk) Park (Online)

19:00 Dinner (Invitees only)

Aug. 17: Day 2 (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, UM)

8:30-9:00 Registration

9:00-10:30 Session 5: Moderator-Jessica Jaye S. Ranieses

· The Power of “Welcome Generation” and BTS as Referent Power; Case Study of ARMY’s Movement as a Virtual-Imagined Community/ Ismayanti and Reni Oktari

· Mapping the Untold Truths of BTS ARMY's Narrative — r/bangtan and American Awards Shows/ Luisa do Amaral, Jaehong Kim, and Wonjae Lee

10:30-10:50 Coffee break (all participants)

10:50-12:20 Sessions 6

Session 6-A: Moderator-Asmadi Bin Hassan 

· TAKE TWO: A Second Helping of BTS-inspired Pedagogical and Advocacy Projects/ Anna Marie H. Bautista

· Fantrepreneur: Unraveling Entrepreneurial Intentions among the BTS ARMY/ Jessica Jaye S. Ranieses, Noel Sajid Murad, and Bruno Lovric

· The Influence of KPOP Artists on the Purchasing Intention of Generation Z Consumers in Ho Chi Minh City in a Celebrity-Endorsed Advertising Campaign / Van Minh Thu 

Session 6-B: Moderator-Andrea SookYin Chan

· Exploring the Impact of BTS on Indonesian Mothers: The Influence of the COVID-19 Pandemic/ Uswatun Hasanah

· The Fan-Mom's Dream: The Hyper-reality of Ideal Spouse Based on Symbolic Capital Commodification/ Fitria Angeliqa and Martriana P. Said

· Brightly They Shine: Exploring the Fandom Phenomenon Among Filipino BTS Army/ Carol Geraldine Pablo, Marc Eric Reyes, and Lorraine Bagas

12:20-13:20 Lunch (all participants)

13:20-14:50 Sessions 7

Session 7-A: Moderator-Allison Anne Atis 

· Interaction and Interpersonality in BTS fandom: A Case of Vietnamese ARMYs on Facebook/ Tran Hong Lien

· Going Beyond Geo-Cultural Proximities: Discovery of Culture Patterns and Malaysian BTS’s Fandom Via @BTSMY_ARMY TWEETS/ Yuslinda Mat Yassin, Baby Anusha Nur Mohamed Thaheer, Abdul Aziz Azizam, and Melina Mahpuz

· Let’s Talk K-pop: BTS Effect on Selected Filipino Fans/ Michelle Rose M. Juadiong 

Session 7-B: Moderator-Fitria Angeliqa 

· Fangirling @ 14 and 40: A Witnessing of the Lived Experience of Filipino Teenagers and Middle Age Women ARMY/ Zarah Gagatiga

· The Poisoned Chalice of Freedom to Swallow Knowingly: BTS' Magic Spell in the Age of Artificial Intelligence/ Kwangsik Kim

· Intermediality in Fandom Culture: The Impact of BTS on Reading Habits, Focusing on Indonesian ARMY/ Nining Setyaningsih

14:50-15:10 Coffee break (all participants)

15:10-16:40 Sessions 8: Moderator-Geetha Govindasamy

· Smooth Like Butter: BTS and Challenging the Western Globalization Agenda/ Allison Anne Gray Atis

· BTS between Bandung’s Spirit and Postcolonial Landscape: Indonesian Teenagers' Engagement with the South Korean Band / Hajar Hanfa Azzahra Saefullah and Vina Adriany

· Adoption of Special Milestone Celebrations among Malaysian ARMYs/ Andrea Chan 

16:40-17:00 Closing remark

Dr. Tan Soo Kee /Head of Department of East Asian Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya 

19:00 Dinner (Invitees only)

Aug. 18: Day 3 (The National Art Gallery) 

10:00-11:00 Round Table 1

11:00-12:00 Round Table 2

12:00-12:30 Visit to exhibition (Hallyu Exhibition, guided by Puan Faridah Hanim Abd Wahab) 

12:30 Lunch (Invitees only)