South Korean President Moon Jae-in, third from left, poses with BTS members. Courtesy of Blue House

Korean President rides on the boy band's popularity

People often struggle to break the ice when they are talking to someone new, and heads of states are no exception when they meet with foreign counterparts.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in seems to have a knack to make meeting new people easier and less awkward – he eases into the conversation with small talk on K-pop titan BTS.

Over the past 12 months, Moon talked about the seven-piece boy band at least eight times during official events outside of the country.

On June 14, Moon took advantage of his knack while speaking to the Swedish assembly.

“Also impressive are the artistic accomplishments of the two culture-loving peoples. The culture and arts of our two nations are beloved by people around the world. The world enjoys the music of ABBA and BTS,” he said.

ABBA is a Swedish group, which debuted in Stockholm in 1972 to become one of the most successful acts in the history of pop music.

Sometimes foreign leaders put BTS on their lips first before Moon did so.

For example, King Harald V of Norway mentioned the idol group over a state banquet last week when President Moon visited the northern European country.

“Many Norwegian fans have asked the same question on social media: When will K-pop group BTS come to Norway,” he said.

“This is clearly not my core competency, but perhaps the President may give fans an answer to this question.”

BTS has just wrapped up its globe-trotting stadium concert after releasing its latest album “Map of the Soul: Persona” midway through this April.

BTS, otherwise known as the Bangtan Boys, is now the biggest boy band in the world.

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