BTS RM's Keynote Speech at the APEC CEO Summit (2025)

Uh, it's a huge honor.

When we said we are artists from Korea, they didn't ask us about our music.

They asked, "Are you from North Korea or South Korea?"

Where on earth is Korea?

So, we had to explain where Korea was before we could even talk about our music.

And that was the reality.

But we overcame those barriers, and now I'm here today sharing this precious moment with you.

ARMY was the force that broke down those barriers.

They used our music as the medium to carry out conversations that cross borders and languages.

They were inspired by the message in the music of BTS to give to charity, to run social campaigns, and, finally, the world was amazed.