BTS participated in the opening session of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Moment’, a special event held at the 76th UN General Assembly held in New York, USA on September 20 at 9 pm (Korean time). The event was broadcast live through the UN official YouTube channel and the Blue House official YouTube channel.
Leader RM said, “I am truly honored to be standing here.”
BTS leader, Kim Namjoon said, “There were times during the past two years when I too felt bewildered and troubled, but still, we had people who cried out “let’s live on, let’s make the best of this moment”. We are in the ideal time of our lives to take on new challenges. It wasn’t as if you could blame anyone. You must have felt the frustration… the world changed like if we were transported in a flash to a parallel one. We were also very upset that the concert tour we had worked hard for a long time was canceled, and we missed the moment we wanted to complete for a while.”
BTS introduced the stories of young people from around the world, one by one, that they had recruited through their official SNS since the 13th. They introduce the stories of future generations who are moving forward despite various crises such as climate change and environmental problems, and said, “I hope we just don’t consider the future as grim darkness” he said.
Also, BTS emphasized that the important thing is not what kind of change they have faced, but what choice they make when they face change and said, “After hearing the news that we are coming to the United Nations, many people wondered if we were all vaccinated. Vaccination was like a ticket for us to meeting our fans and to be able to stand here today. Like vaccinations, efforts are continuously underway so that the day we can talk again face to face is not far away. I hope in this nascent world, we can fill each other days to the brim with positive energy”.
Finally, BTS said, “I thought the world had stopped, but we are definitely moving forward. We believe that in every choice, that choice is the beginning of change. I hope we can say welcome to each other in a world that starts anew rather than an ending.” and delivered a meaningful welcome to people around the world who have entered a new era with the performance video of their hit song ‘Permission to Dance’.
This is BTS’ third speech at the UN General Assembly. During the 73rd UN General Assembly held in New York in September 2018, we participated in the presentation of ‘Generation Unlimited’, a youth agenda of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), “Let’s love ourselves and have a voice.”
Then, at the high-level meeting of the UN Health and Security Friendship Group at the 75th UN General Assembly, which was broadcast live online in September last year, he said to future generations who are having a difficult time due to COVID-19, “Life goes on. Let’s live on”, conveying a message of support.