BTS Members' Authentic Contact with K-Dramas
V (Kim Taehyung) made his first and only K-drama acting debut with the character “Hansung” in the 2016 drama Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth. Despite being a rookie actor, he attracted attention with his emotional scenes. V's Hwarang cast became a circle of friends that he still actively keeps in touch with; after the drama, the special friendship group “Wooga Squad” was formed with Park Seo-joon and Park Hyung-sik.
Jin (Kim Seokjin) studied acting during his college years. While he was expected to appear in K-dramas, he turned to a music career. He preferred to focus on stage performance instead of acting. Jungkook expressed that he loved the drama Love in the Moonlight and was impressed by Park Bo-gum's performance. He later became friends with Bo-gum. RM stated that he watched Reply 1988 many times and felt closest to the character “Sun-woo” with his character depth. SUGA cites My Mister as one of his favorite dramas. He explained his interest in the drama by saying that the melancholic themes inspired his songwriting.
Influence of BTS Songs on TV Series and Movies
Spring Day is one of the most used BTS songs in the K-drama world. It is widely used in fan-made dramatic edits and scene montages. Although the song Heartbeat was released alongside the game BTS World, it was praised by many fans for its cinematic nature and its suitability for K-drama scenes.
BTS's music videos were found to be close to K-drama aesthetics in terms of scene language and editing. Especially Fake Love and I Need U clips are analyzed like a drama episode. The Japanese song Film Out was written like a K-movie script, with lyrics and composition based on isolated emotions. The narrative style of the Euphoria video has become a content analyzed by fans because it overlaps with the time travel and parallel universe structures in some K-dramas.
Behind the Scenes and BTS on the Drama Set
Jin participated in stage auditions at KBS Drama School during his student days. His graduation project was based on a short film scene. V's use of music notation while memorizing on the set of Hwarang proved to make his approach to acting more rhythmic.
Jimin appeared in a few episodes of Our Blues as a brief background spectator; these images were never officially announced, but were noticed by fans. J-Hope went to visit the set of Itaewon Class because he was interested in the soundtrack and was close friends with Park Seo-joon. BTS members have been in contact with Netflix's shooting programs several times, but so far none of them have appeared as Netflix actors in an official K-drama production.
Common Aesthetics of BTS and K-Dramas
BTS's concert VCRs (stage transition videos) are cinematographically planned like a K-drama pilot episode; lighting and mise-en-scene work is carried out by the film crew. One of the stage productions where K-drama aesthetics and BTS overlap the most is the “Boy Meets Evil” transition scene staged during the Wings Tour.
The metaphors and narrative constructs used in BTS lyrics overlap with the thematic map of many K-dramas: especially memory, escape, fate, loneliness. Some of the themes RM used during the songwriting (lost time, journey, dream of an ex-lover) have narratives that can be adapted to K-dramas.
Series Music and Indirect Contributions
It's Definitely You, performed by V and Jin together, was released as the official OST of Hwarang and became an integral part of the drama. Jungkook's solo song “Still With You” attracted the attention of K-drama producers at the time of its release and was suggested as theme music for dramas with a similar tone.
SUGA's solo projects feature tracks that he constructs as soundtracks; the cinematography of the Shadow clip has enough stage narrative to become a drama soundtrack. V's Christmas Tree was chosen as the OST for Our Beloved Summer and quickly topped the charts.
Rejected Roles and Acting Offers
Before joining BTS, Jin had received acting offers from several popular teen dramas; however, he turned them all down due to his internship program. Among the offers Jin received were hit productions of the era such as School 2013 and To the Beautiful You. Although SUGA received offers for acting, he expressed that he was not interested, saying, “I would not feel natural in a non-musical role in front of the camera.”
It is known that during Jungkook's high school years, he was offered the lead role in a web series, but BigHit did not allow it so that there would not be a shift in focus. J-Hope was considered for a dance-themed miniseries, but the project was canceled because it conflicted with BTS's debut.
Friendships and Interactions with K-Drama Actors
V's “Wooga Squad” friendship group was formed entirely with actors he met on the set of a drama: Park Seo-joon, Choi Woo-shik, Park Hyung-sik and Peakboy. The group is made up of individuals who are not only friends, but also nurture each other in art and creation; the members contribute to each other's projects.
V's OST contribution to Choi Woo-shik's Our Beloved Summer is the most tangible musical extension of this friendship. Jungkook's friendship with Park Bo-gum is called a “visual power” friendship among fans; they have traveled together many times. Although RM is not directly friends with some K-drama actors, he has recommended them on social media as if analyzing the dramas they star in.
Indirect K-Drama Appearances of BTS
Although V has not acted in any other drama other than Hwarang, his voice and face are used in many drama edits, adding emotional meaning to the scene. BTS members' music videos are being turned into mini-drama series by fans; some write their own scripts and turn them into a fictional drama.
Jin's “Epiphany” clip was shot in a drama aesthetic, not just a music video, and the “drama analysis” articles on this clip attracted attention. Jungkook's Begin stage performance was coded among fans as “the story of a brother in a drama” and this structure was adapted into fan-made drama videos.
BTS's Contact with Cinema Culture Behind the Camera
RM has said many times that he sees watching movies as a music-making tool; he is inspired by the aesthetics of cinema before he starts writing. SUGA has stated that he finds films such as Whiplash, Requiem for a Dream, The Pianist directly influential to the “beat” making process, both in rhythm and emotion.
J-Hope has a special interest in the cinematography of dance scenes; productions such as the Step Up series and Billy Elliot have influenced his dance choreographies. In 2022, Jin said that he had exchanged ideas for a feature-length project with a K-drama director, but it was postponed due to timing. V, Before Sunrise, and other emotional travel-themed films, he explained that he added story and visual aspects to some of his songs.
Future Expectations and Hints
V said that he may act again in the future, but this time he would like to take part in a “quiet, artistic and poetic movie”. Rumors that Jin might make a surprise guest appearance in a K-drama mini-series after returning from military service have been circulating in the industry.
SUGA expressed his aspirations for directing and screenwriting; he especially wants to make “dark but hopeful” short films. RM expressed his interest in making an art documentary and dreamed of being behind the camera where music intersects with image. There are rumors that Jungkook will not only sing in a movie soundtrack, but also contribute a voice-over.