There is a great recognition in the Kpop community that ARMY seems to be the largest fandom in the world with a large number of fans both domestically and internationally. This makes ARMY more proud of their fandom than ever and of course, all are connected because of a love for BTS.

However, there are also differences between K-ARMY and international ARMY that we cannot deny. Bang PD himself also recognizes this difference, but it is not an obstacle but also an opportunity for HYBE's founder to make BTS famous, become top Kpop superstars and paved the way for this industry.

Bang PD once mentioned the success factor of BTS thanks to this and fans really admire his strategy:

We all know that the K-pop fan community is made up of fans all over the world. But there is som̾e̾t̾h ̾ing special about this fan community because based on the origin of K-pop idols, the fandom can be divided into international fans and kσrєαn fans. There seems to be no difference between these two fan communities because the love they have for their idols is the same.

ARMY is not an exception fandom! However, although there is not much difference in love for idols, there is an identifying feature between K-ARMY and international ARMY that Bang Shi Hyuk PD-nim still recognizes. It is not related to language or culture but to the concepts of traditional K-pop that make the reactions of these two public groups different, especially evident in the early days of BTS's debut. 

Specifically, in his speech researching K-pop, Bang PD mentioned this detail as an example that BTS has created another path to conquer the aud̾i̾e ̾nce. Bang Shi Hyuk points out that serving as the main producer and researching development strategy for BTS from the early days has given him an intimate perspective on the preferences of international and domestic fans, help him understand this difference better than anyone else.

First, Bang PD pointed out that the inherent musical trend of K-pop across generations is to be entertaining and focus on music and dance. Meanwhile, at the time BTS first debuted, he and the group's initial direction was to bring the concept of narrat1ve music to life. Bang PD spoke that, "When I first planned for BTS and proposed the idea and concept, what I actually felt was that the fans from West3rn culture and Japan caught and understood the storylines really fast. In Korean culture, on the other hand, I felt there was even rejection at first.”

Even after a long time, BTS and Bang Shi Hyuk continuously observed fans' reactions, they realized that many K-ARMYs responded that they wished BTS would create interesting songs and choreography rather than add a story for fans to discuss. Apparently, the stereotype of K-pop as music that focuses on images and melod̾i̾e ̾s rather than telling a story with content throughout the albums has influenced the way that fans in the country listen to the music.

Meanwhile, BTS's new approach to music has made international fans pay attention to the story they convey. Bang PD immediately realized the potential of international ARMY as they were extremely attracted to BTS' stories. The most significant success for BTS and Bang PD in the early stages of reception was the album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, which was highly rated and received positive feedback about the message the group conveyed. This is also a milestone that helped BTS begin to receive global recognition.

Secondly, Bang Shi Hyuk shared his strategy to create new value for Kpop music and make domestic fans change their perception. Bang Shi Hyuk and BTS still do not give up their original intention and desire to conquer them. He wanted to show ḳöŕệän fans that K-Pop can have deeper meanings and more interesting storylines. He also wanted to create a new music concept that can heal and can be deeply rooted in the aud̾i̾e ̾nce's subconscious to make кσяєαn music culture develop further.

Not only that, Bang PD also mentioned alternate universes, called “AU” and very popular in international BTS fanfiction, and said his mission is to embody them in the narratives. He shared: "The recent release of BTS21 and BTS World are expansions of this worldview. And there could be an intersection of where these different worlds meet."

And just like the efforts of Bang PD and BTS, they have helped domestic fans change the way they perceive music, creating a new trend for Kpop. Now, music for fans is not simply entertainment but also somєthing that helps them gain mental comfort and grow!