Diplomacia à prova de balas: o BTS como pilar e desafio do soft power sul-coreano

Abstract

This paper analyzes the risks and benefits of centralizing the BTS group in South Korean cultural diplomacy, using the concept of soft power and the growing use of popular culture as a foreign policy tool. Beginning in the 1990s, the government structured an international projection strategy based on Hallyu (Korean wave), with BTS as its main representative. The group began to exercise symbolic diplomatic functions, influencing the country's international image and two internal decisions, such as the “BTS law” that was enacted with the aim of making mandatory military service more flexible for artists recognized for services rendered to the nation. Using a qualitative approach and a documentary bibliographic review, the paper investigates how the centralization of BTS in South Korean cultural diplomacy generated economic, political and symbolic benefits, but also exposed structural ulnerabilities in the soft power model used by the country. The research examines the institutional responses adopted to mitigate this concentration, especially after the announcement of the group's hiatus and the economic impacts associated with its temporary absence. The results indicate that although the group has been effective in expanding South Korea's influence, its centrality imposes limits on the long-term sustainability of the country's cultural diplomacy.