BTS’s Jimin Wins Vote for “Most Immersive Worldbuilding” with 47.2% of the Votes

In the vote titled “Idol with the Most Immersive Worldbuilding” conducted by Mnet Plus, BTS’s Jimin secured victory by receiving 47.2% of all votes. This voting event took place from August 18 to 31, with Stray Kids, BTS’s V, CORTIS, and NCT WISH ranking second through fifth respectively behind Jimin. Within the modern K-pop industry, “worldbuilding” has emerged as a key factor for distinguishing idols from one another. Representatives from entertainment agencies unanimously stated that the idol market is already saturated, making it difficult to stand out merely as a group with strong singing skills. As a result, major agencies are adopting a strategy of using worldbuilding as a brand identity for their idol groups to leave a lasting impression on the public. EXO is positioned as “idols with superpowers,” aespa as “metaverse avatars,” and PLAVE as “idols from virtual planets.” BTS is regarded as the most exemplary case in this competition of worldbuilding. According to a research paper by Kim Jung-seop, a professor at the Graduate School of Cultural Industry and Arts at Sungshin Women’s University, which analyzed the worldbuilding of all BTS albums over the 10 years since their Debut, BTS’s songs deeply incorporate messages about dreams, love, and social issues. These messages can be specifically categorized into five types: encouragement to strive toward one’s goals, seeking formulas for success and happiness beyond secular standards, reflections on and regrets regarding love, calls to alert against and overcome serious societal problems, and expressions of gratitude to fans and the public along with promises of companionship throughout BTS’s journey to becoming stars. The reasons agencies invest in worldbuilding include achieving brand differentiation, enhancing fan loyalty, expanding IP, and realizing global strategies. Kim Jung-seop explained that “worldbuilding serves as a core mechanism for constructing stories and narratives, allowing musicians to establish their artistic identity and communicate effectively with their fanbases.” He emphasized that it is “expressed in a multidimensional manner through song lyrics, dances, and choreography.” BTS is also at the forefront of expanding IP through worldbuilding. The webtoon “7FATES: CHAKHO,” released in 2022, is set in a near-future city and draws inspiration from the Chakho Gapsa, a tiger hunting unit from the Joseon dynasty. The plot follows seven individuals bound by fates intertwined with tigers as they form a tiger hunter team named Chakho to navigate a chaotic world, providing fans with opportunities to participate and interpret the content. aespa, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, and ENHYPEN are also expanding their IP through worldbuilding by creating webtoons, games, and web novels. Jimin holds several unprecedented records. The title track “Who” from his second solo album, “MUSE,” has become the most streamed song on Spotify overall, with over 1.95617 billion plays. Its follow-up track, “Like Crazy,” has accumulated 1.38763 billion plays. Notably, Jimin is the first and only singer to have two songs that have each surpassed 50 million streams on Korean charts. Fans also respond strongly to worldbuilding. Worldbuilding functions as a form of “participatory entertainment,” with fans interpreting music videos, albums, interviews, and other materials like pieces of a puzzle to piece together the overall narrative. In this process, they transition from being mere music consumers to story consumers, thereby strengthening fan unity. Ultimately, an idol’s level of fan immersion directly leads to enhanced loyalty.