BTS‘s first official book, Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS, was released in Korea and the United States on July 9.
The book chronicled the group’s decade-long journey from their debut under a then-small company BigHit Entertainment (now known as BIGHIT MUSIC), to becoming one of the top musical groups in the world.
To celebrate the release of the book, Weverse Magazine released an exclusive interview with Kang Myeong Seok, Chief Editor of Weverse Magazine, who interviewed BTS and authored the book, and Kim Yeon Ju, the project manager and editor of HYBE’s publications.
In the interview, the two revealed how plans for the book completely changed after BTS released their first all-English song, “Dynamite.”
According to Kim Yeon Ju, plans for the book began in 2019. Kang Myeong Seok had originally planned to spend about a year interviewing the seven BTS members, but those plans were quickly derailed following the unprecedented success of BTS’s English single “Dynamite.”
I thought I could spend about a year to interview BTS about their past and wrap things up. But after the release of “Dynamite,” I was like, ‘Man, I can’t not cover this period’ (laughs), and did some more interviews.
— Kang Myeong Seok
As he continued interviews, BTS released “Butter,” which was also met with massive global success, and then the group was able to resume touring, so Kang Myeong Seok found himself continuing his interviews.
Then, there was “Butter” (laughs). And then, as the pandemic was coming to an end, they could resume stadium tours, and we couldn’t overlook that, either (laughs). And that’s how the coverage schedule got longer and the book ended up encompassing almost every activity by BTS, and for that I’m pleased.
— Kang Myeong Seok
Kang Myeong Seok interviewed the members eight times “approximately once every three months.”
Kim Yeon Ju shared that they consulted with the BTS members frequently as they were actively promoting to ensure their current thoughts and mindset were accurately reflected in the book.
Kim Yeon Ju appreciated how meticulous the members were in their responses, despite their busy schedules.
We wanted the text to reflect whether the thoughts they had at the time were still valid. All the members replied to my questions meticulously, which really helped.
— Kim Yeon Ju
Thanks to the release of “Dynamite” and the group’s subsequent releases, the book was able to contain more comprehensive coverage of BTS’s journey up until the current day!
Check out more about BTS’s memoir in the article below:
How The Word “Yes” Completely Changed BTS’s Hit Song “DNA,” According To Jimin
