BTS Global Conference 2026: As global interest in K-pop keeps growing since BTS came back as a full group, academics, cultural experts and researchers from all over the world are set to gather in South Korea for the 5th BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference. It is an international meeting meant to dig into what comes next for the Korean Wave or Hallyu.
The conference is scheduled for July 2-3, 2026 at the International Convention Center of Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) in Jeonju, South Korea. It is organized by the International Society for BTS Studies (ISBS) together with Jeonbuk National University and its Department of K-Entertainment. The overall theme is “The Next Generation Hallyu & BTS” and yes it feels a bit like a bridge between older discussions and newer trends.
BTS Global Conference 2026
Organizers say the event will include 50 presenters from 10 countries, among them South Korea, the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Mongolia and the Czech Republic.
Researchers are expected to talk about how BTS and their worldwide fandom, ARMY have reshaped today’s culture, the way people communicate, identity formation and even how Korean soft power is perceived internationally.
Focus on BTS’ ‘New Chapter’ After Military Service
A central theme of this years conference is BTS “New Chapter” pointing to the groups reunion after the mandatory military service is fully finished.
The keynote address will look at the cultural and social weight of BTS comeback, and also how it might steer what comes next for the next generation of Hallyu. The conversations will drift past music, to unpack BTS influence on global citizenship, inclusivity, imaginative practice, and the way cultural stories are still being reshaped.
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Topics Included
The conference agenda stretches across multiple disciplines, because BTS impact really does go past entertainment and into the larger public sphere.
Major areas of discussion include:
- The shifting shape of global fan communities (ARMY)
- Artificial intelligence and digital fandom
- Social media and online cultural participation
- Political and social activism through fan networks
- Cultural translation and globalization
- Sustainability, plus community-building through fan led connections
- The future trajectory of the Korean Wave (Hallyu)
Documentary Director Bao Nguyen to Join Special Session
One of the standout moments will be a special talk with documentary filmmaker Bao Nguyen, who directed the BTS documentary BTS: The Return. The session is expected to shed light on how to capture the groups reunion and why it matters culturally, in a broader sense.
“This conference is a venue that illuminates BTS and Hallyu not as mere pop culture content but as a complex global phenomenon combining technology, society, ethics, and politics,” Professor Lee Ji-haeng of the university’s Department of K-Entertainment said to The Seoul Economic Daily. “It will be an important turning point for exploring the direction and sustainability of the next generation of Hallyu.”
Launched in the United Kingdom in 2020, the BTS Global Interdisciplinary Conference has also taken place in the United States, South Korea and Malaysia before.
