BTS [Big Hit Music]
BTS [Big Hit Music]

Sungshin Women's University professor Seo Kyung-duk said BTS's Grammy Awards boycott declaration is generating significant global attention and urged the Recording Academy to reform its discriminatory practices.

In a Facebook post Saturday, Seo said BTS's announcement that it would not submit entries to the 2027 Grammy Awards had become "a major global issue," and called on the Grammys to move beyond statements. "The Grammy side has expressed its position on BTS's decision," he wrote. "But now it is time for the Grammys to show action, not just words."

The Grammy Awards are presented by the Recording Academy, the US organization formerly known as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. The 69th Grammy Awards are scheduled for February next year. The boycott came after the Grammys announced a new "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category separating music from Korea, China, Japan and other Asian countries. BTS responded Wednesday via social media, declaring, "We have decided not to submit to the Grammys." The group added that it hoped "music can be heard and loved for what it is, rather than being divided by region or language."

Seo cited coverage by the Associated Press, The Guardian and other major international outlets, noting that they placed BTS alongside global pop stars such as The Weeknd and Drake, who had previously refused to submit entries in protest against the Grammys. He also noted that in response to the boycott, fans around the world — known as the global Army — launched a project to push "Aliens," a B-side from BTS's fifth studio album Arirang that indirectly addresses racial discrimination, back onto the iTunes charts, ultimately sending it to No. 1 on the iTunes Top Songs chart in 78 countries.

Seo urged the Grammys to heed the reactions of major international media and the views of music critics worldwide. "This is an opportunity that must not be missed to reform the Grammys' opaque judging criteria and discriminatory elements," he said.


cook@heraldcorp.com