BTS among Forbes’ ‘30 Under 30 Asia’ list in entertainment
SEOUL: K-pop group BTS has been named among Asia’s 30 most influential people under the age of 30 in entertainment and sports this year.
BTS, rising classical pianist Cho Seong-jin, actress Ahn Seo-hyun, figure skater You Young, skeleton gold medalist Yun Sung-bin, LPGA golfer Park Sung-hyun and professional climber Kim Ja-in were also included in the list, which was published on the US magazine website.
Forbes described BTS as having “cracked the notoriously competitive US market,” referencing the band becoming the first K-pop act to perform at the American Music Awards, in November of last year. The K-pop sensation enjoyed massive success last year, with its EP, “Love Yourself: Her”, having sold over 1.49 million copies since September. For Cho, the magazine explained how his recorded performance at the 2015 Chopin Piano Competition gained popularity worldwide, including in Poland, the birthplace of composer Fredric Chopin.
As for Ahn, it described her as “a 14-year-old actress... who had her breakthrough role in the critically acclaimed 2017 Netflix film ‘Okja’, which competed for the Palme d’or at Cannes... Ahn starred alongside major names like Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal, and received widespread praise for her performance.”
Malaysian singer Shila Amzah also made the list.