Scholars around the world will gather in Seoul next week to discuss the cultural phenomenon and extraordinary fandom behind the K-pop boyband sensation BTS.

The Korean Society for Journalism & Communication Studies (KSJCS) will host a seminar titled “K-pop Beyond BTS: Media Technology, Creative Industries and Fandom Culture” on Dec. 11 at Yonsei University in Shinchon, Seoul.

While there have been many academic papers on the BTS phenomenon, this is the first conference devoted solely to the seven-member boy group.

The seminar will consist of four sessions, with 17 scholars from South Korea, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and China to present their papers and hold related discussions.

The seminar is hosted by the BTS record label Big Hit Entertainment.

BTS rewrote K-pop history by becoming the first K-pop act to conquer the Billboard charts. They became the first group after The Beatles to land three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart in less than a year. They were also the first K-pop act to win two awards at this year’s Billboard Music Awards, taking home the trophy for top social artist for the third year in a row and receiving their first nod for top duo/group.

By Pulse

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