When it comes to PSY, he shares close relationships with several BTS members, including SUGA, V, and j-hope. He and SUGA even collaborated on the 2022 нιт “That That,” a song that SUGA not only featured on but also helped write and produce, while appearing in its music video.
Over the years, both PSY and BTS have frequently expressed their mutual admiration and publicly supported each other’s careers. SUGA once shared, “I was a huge fan ever since I was little. I grew up listening to his music.” Both he and RM have also praised PSY’s success, recognizing how “Gangnam Style” paved the way for K-pop in the U.S., allowing BTS to follow in his footsteps more easily.
Meanwhile, most recently when speaking about BTS, PSY made an iconic statement. On October 16, during his speech at PBI Seoul 2026, he spoke about the group, saying: “BTS is doing so well, so I’ll leave the future to them.” The brief statement quickly sparked a buzz throughout the K-pop fandom, particularly because it came from an artist who had created one of South кσяєα’s biggest global music phenomena.
In 2012, “Gangnam Style” turned PSY into an international sensation, attracting widespread media attention and reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the pressure to replicate that success was immense, and maintaining the same level of influence after such a phenomenal нιт proved to be a difficult challenge for PSY over the years.
Yet this is not a challenge unique to him. Many other K-pop artists have faced similar struggles, whether rising to fame through one or two нιт songs or struggling to establish a lasting presence in the international market—with BTS standing out as a notable exception.
This also reminded fans of PSY’s most notable remark about BTS during a 2022 interview with CNN. At the time, he stated: “When the song is a нιт, then your songs need to continue to be нιтs. When the person is a нιт, the success is more sustainable. In this case, I’m the former and BTS is the latter.”
BTS stands out as an excellent example of sustainable success. The group has repeatedly topped Billboard charts with numerous нιт songs. Several members have also reached No. 1 on Billboard charts through their solo activities. Notably, after more than three years of group activity being put on hold as the members focused on fulfilling their mandatory military service, BTS returned with their album “ARIRANG” and went on to spend three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
The group has built an extensive discography, a global fanbase, and the ability to sustain public interest across different stages of its career. PSY recognizes and acknowledges the extraordinary success they have achieved.
Rather than resisting the idea of a younger generation surpαѕѕing him, PSY has embraced it, expressing confidence in BTS’s ability to continue expanding K-pop’s global influence and take the industry to new heights as one of its leading forces. His remarks at PBI Seoul 2026 serve as a powerful acknowledgment of BTS’s pivotal role in shaping the future of K-pop. This recognition carries particular weight because it comes from a veteran artist who has personally experienced what it means to become a global music phenomenon.
PSY’s latest statement is now receiving an enthusiastic response from fans: "When legends recognize legends", "Never forget, back in September 2017, the godfather of K-pop himself, Seo Taiji, told BTS, “Now, it’s your era. Show them"", "The industry knew BTS were the ones", "Deserved! With them future gonna be okay", "Don't forget when this 2 goats collaborated omg ,the real pioneers and kings of kpop industry", "That's why Kpop future is still saved. As long as BTS is here people will continue to look up to kpop", "BTS PAVED THE WAY", "He delivered a legendary song that created a K-pop wave, but BTS are a story of struggle, hard work, and relentless perseverance. There will never be another group of young men like them",...
