The article interviewed representative theorists of Korean dance Professor Kim Ji-won and dance critic Dr Lee Chan-ju about Korean dance and its genealogy.
Jimin's mention:
"Jimin (BTS), barefoot and dressed in white, slowly walks to the front of the stage with a soft white cloth draped over his shoulders and his gaze down. Then, for about 1 minute and 20 seconds, he displays the intense movement of throwing, pulling, and caressing the cloth wrapped around his shoulders and arms into the air. This is a performance performed by Jimin titled ‘I Need U’ at the 2019 Melon Music Awards. Although it is said to be a modern dance, Koreans can quickly tell that it is a reinterpretation of ‘Salpuri dance.’ In 2018, Jimin performed an original fan dance on the same stage and received a plaque of appreciation from the Kim Baekbong Fan Dance Preservation Society, saying he had ‘contributed to raising the status and aesthetic value of the fan dance globally.’ There was an uproar among overseas fans who heard Jimin's 'I Need You' for the first time. What on earth is that dance and what does the cloth mean? BTS' video containing this scene achieved hundreds of millions of views."
“BTS' performance is a motif or reinterpretation of traditional dance, but people who encounter Korean dance for the first time will soon want to know what the original dance is and the meaning of the cloth used as a prop.”
“If you look closely at the Salpuri dance, the cloth is not removed at all. In some ways, catching and putting it back , letting go and winding it again are inevitable. I shared affection with all my loved ones, but after losing that affection, there will be regret and obsession, and it seems there will be tearful conflicts. So, I complain to the cloth, and I wrap it, unwind it, and get tangled up again while trying to get myself together for having to live with the loss of the things I love.”
"After hearing this explanation and watching Jimin's performance again, each movement is interpreted in a new way. Professor Kim said that when she was learning Salpuri dance, her teacher said, “Have you never even loved? She laughs, saying that it was only after a long time that she realized the meaning of his words, 'Come back with more love'.”
