Beyond the Story

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By BTS & Myeongseok Kang &

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Publisher Description

THE FIRST EVER OFFICIAL BOOK—
Published in celebration of BTS’s 10th Anniversary, stories that go beyond what you already know about BTS, including unreleased photos and all album information.

After taking their first step into the world on June 13, 2013, BTS will celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut in June 2023. They have risen to the peak as an iconic global artist and during this meaningful time, they look back on their footsteps in the first official book. In doing so, BTS nurtures the power to build brighter days and they choose to take another step on a road that no one has gone before.

BTS shares personal, behind-the-scenes stories of their journey so far through interviews and more than three years of in-depth coverage by Myeongseok Kang, who has written about K-pop and other Korean pop culture in various media. Presented chronologically in seven chapters from before the debut of BTS to the present, their vivid voices and opinions harmonize to tell a sincere, lively, and deep story. In individual interviews that have been conducted without a camera or makeup, they illuminate their musical journey from multiple angles and discuss its significance.

In addition, portrait photos that show BTS as individuals and artists open the book, and throughout there are concept photos, tracklists of all previous albums, and over 330 links to videos. As digital artists, BTS has been communicating with the world through the internet and this book allows readers to immediately access trailers, music videos, and more online to have a rich understanding of all the key moments in BTS history. Complete with a timeline of all major milestones, BEYOND THE STORY is a remarkable archive—truly everything about BTS in one volume.

1382 Reviews

4.5

Kristen Robinson

Created 3 days ago

Chay

Created 4 days ago

Emme.Y.Eden

Created 7 days ago

“I'm a fan of this group. I know I'm not immune to propaganda but I don't care. I liked it so much. that's all.”

DJ🌷

Created 10 days ago

““Beyond the Story” is a rare and emotional glimpse into BTS’s journey. It shows how much they’ve been through — the struggles, the growth, and the love they have for their dreams and each other. Their story is so special and truly inspiring. I honestly want everyone to read this book, whether you're a fan or not. It’s not just about fame — it’s about passion, hard work, and never giving up.”

Believable Change and grow Captivating Educational Motivational Moving Personal experience Easy to follow Well-paced Clear Conversational

Kenra Cook

Created 16 days ago

“I don't know that I consider myself ARMY anymore, for a plethora of reasons. For a good number of years, kpop was my only reason for living, and it's very interesting to be in a more balanced position in my life and reading this book, which I know past me would have been feral for. It was certainly obvious to me that this book was written for one consumer which is ARMY. You'd be hardpressed to find an individual who would read this and finish it when this does nothing more than read like an elongated, heavily quoted Wikipedia article. In fact, I'm not really sure what the point of this book really was. It certainly wasn't meant to draw in new listeners because at no point did this introduce BTS to you or explain anything about Korean music culture and it also felt far too sterile to be something that current ARMY fans would find new or revolutionary. If you know how BTS came to be, and you know the stories behind their albums, than you have literally no need to read this book. The fact that HYBE already oversells BTS just made me shake my head a bit at how easy it is to get a load of cash from fans. Myself having been one of them. But I've had this book on my shelf for two years now and I'm tired of having books on my shelf that I don't read, so it was finally time to take a walk down memory lane I suppose. The quotes from the members were by far my favorite part, and I really loved seeing that their personal experiences were the impetus of their most profound and impactful music. Their ability to introspect and ponder their place in this world and the source of their unhappiness really lended a space for anyone to introspect and wonder their own positions in the world and it truly did breed a community that was founded on authenticity, loving one's self and chasing after your dreams. It's not a wonder to me how messages like that, told from a very sincere and heartfelt place, would resonate to a global audience. It's a message that is timeless and universally felt. I really would have appreciated a more scrutable examination of the kpop industry as a whole. It made me very sad to read how much BTS suffered at the cost of what was expected of them. It's the main reason why kpop is not such a high priority in my life anymore. Reading about each of these members slowly losing touch of who they were, losing interest in life itself and how they express this confusion of why they seemed so depressed and disconnected and I just wanted to scream, "You're depressed because you were literally children who weren't allowed to have normalcy the moment you became a trainee and your life lost any sense of privacy or autonomy and you lost all of your previous friends and your home and the support system you had and you didn't even have a therapist to help you through this because S. Korea is still figuring that bit out and instead you were expected to dance for 12 hours and believe that the love of your fans and the music would make up for anything else." Truly, I'm apalled that more people didn't read this and realize how much of a commodity artists are to these companies - in both Western and Eastern media - and how little dignity they are given once their lives are made public. It really didn't sit right with me and how we seem to easily dismiss it. "Fantasy is an important compononent of K-pop. 2019 was an endless repitition of thinking about this aspect, of me trying to close the distance. Between my persona as a member of BTS and the actual person that I was or wanted to be. To be honest, it's fine if I were perceived as just another member of BTS. Pretending I'm something else would require more of an effort, anyway. And whenever I meet my fans, I'm so grateful to them that I want to hug them all. Telling them, 'Thanks to you, I'm alive and breathing and making music.' But what I'm wondering is 'Can I do that and at the same time keep selling the fantasy?' I know there are people who think, 'You're not real people, stop pretending like you are,' 'But you guys make lots of money,' and all that. This makes me think we're on a bridge made of glass that lies across such boundaries. And we can see how far it falls below...So it's also scary. Because just one crack means we're going to fall." For me, this book was both a sentimental walk down memory lane of some of my happiest and hardest memories as well as a expose on celebrity culture and the affect that it has on human individuals. It also just reminded me how much we don't deserve RM. Someone give him a long nap, please.”

About BTS

BTS, an acronym of “Bangtan Sonyeondan” or “Beyond the Scene,” is a boy band from South Korea that debuted on June 13, 2013. The members of BTS are RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook. They have been embraced the world over, transcending nations, races, languages, gender, and generations for their music, their passionate performances, and their close connections to their fans. They are always seeking new ways to repay the love they receive through their music.

Myeongseok Kang is a longtime critic and former editor in chief for many media outlets whose writing focuses on Korean pop culture, including K-pop. Currently, he is working on Weverse Magazine.