Gwanghwamun BTS Comeback Exposes Limits of Seoul’s Hallyu Statecraft
The source describes South Korea’s extraordinary security and administrative mobilization for BTS’s Gwanghwamun concert and the domestic backlash over disruption and perceived public subsidization of a commercial launch. It suggests that overt state ownership of hallyu may weaken soft power by eroding the perception of cultural spontaneity and straining domestic consent.