Today marks the official opening of the “Min Yoon-gi Therapy Center” at Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital. Over the years, BTS have given not only their...

Serendipity I especially love how RM playfully links 그냥 (geu-nyang) (simply) with 고양이 (goh-yahng-yi) (cat), since Koreans also affectionately call cats 냥냥이 (nyang-nyang-yi). In that...

MORE “MORE” may not be everyone’s cup of tea (but as someone who loves rock songs, it is my cup of tea, runneth over), especially...

Translation of Every Song in Jack in the Box Album Where’s my safe zone?Let me know if you knowWhere’s my safe zone?DamnSacrificing my 20s,I’m living...

Everythingoes The song’s intention is clear from its long, meditative intro: nearly two minutes of RM gently repeating, “Ji-nah-gah (time heals),” as if to reassure...

Uhgood Each line in the song is spare, yet heavy with nuance. Layered metaphors and subtle turns of phrase reveal how much can be said...

Moonchild The term moonchild, loosely defined as someone idiosyncratic or out of step with the world, becomes in RM’s hands the embodiment of a person...

Closer Than This This is an irresistibly catch song with smooth beats and flowing melodies. But more than anything, it stands as a comforting gift...

Smeraldo Garden Marching Band In contrast to RM’s somber lyrics in “The Truth Untold,”, where the Smeraldo Garden blooms only solitude and thorns of despair,...

Rebirth, Slow Dance, and Be Mine from Jimin’s MUSE album MUSE’s diverse genres—ranging from Taylor Swift-esque pop to instrumental, big band pop, R&B, Latin pop,...

So Far Away I have often reflected on why SUGA chose Job’s story as the inspiration for his song, even quoting directly from the Book...

Interlude: Set Me Free One day, he’s so depressed that he’s “바닥에서 (bah-dahk-eh-suh) (on the floor) 기고 (gih-goh) (crawling),” and the next, he’s “창공에서 (chahng-gong-eh-suh)...

Strange SUGA, whose exterior exudes insouciance while his interior burns with a furnace, uses this song to lay bare, with raw honesty, the need to...

Moonlight (Korean title: 저 달 (juh dahl) (That Moon)) “Moonlight,” the opening track on SUGA’s magnificent “Agust D D-2” mixtape, finds him in a reflective...

People (Korean title: 사람 (sah-lahm) (A Human) Though the verses, layered with tight rhymes about the volatility of human relationships, carry a pessimistic mood, SUGA’s...

Fly to My Room Blending neo-soul with vocal brilliance, BTS showcases V’s husky baritone and Jimin’s high tenor, capturing the ache of pandemic solitude in...

Epiphany Ever since this song first graced my ears, its poignant lines about self-love continue to offer me an invaluable comfort. (translated in 2018)  ...

Ddaeng An artist is nothing without creativity, and BTS’s ability to conjure it at will is what makes them formidable, one that will endure long...

Moon The theme of Jin’s “Moon” is a heartfelt reflection of his love for ARMY, highlighting the symbiotic bond in which BTS and ARMY draw...

The Astronaut With Coldplay’s involvement in the composition, the song features a rich blend of rock, synthesizer, and acoustic elements. However, it’s the tonal color...

My Time This song is JK’s reflective, sincere letter to himself, about the disjunction between his thoughts and his reality, the unsettled feelings and emotions,...

Echo The songs on this album aren’t particularly groundbreaking or emotionally seismic. But Jin’s music moves along a different axis. His artistry isn’t driven by...

With the Clouds In essence, the song masterfully expresses emotional fragility, hope, and human connection through skillful natural imagery, sensitive metaphor, and poetic language. It...

To Me, Today The lyrics capture a message of self-encouragement and embracing the present. Through imagery of sunlight, flight, and letting go of worries, the...

Background This song has grown on me throughout the week, as I kept returning to the Echo album. From the very first notes, this ballad—the...

Nothing Without Your Love While “Moon” is Jin’s heartfelt promise to remain ever near—to circle, to stay, to be a constant light—“Nothing Without Your Love”...

Two bards have crossed paths to share their sorrow, lamenting a world that relentlessly pours down rain upon them, even as they leap skyward, to...

(originally translated in 2018; revised in 2021)    Alain de Botton’s “On Love” might be the best book ever written about love, or perhaps anti-love....

(translated in 2018)   The term ‘singularity’ originates from a mathematical concept, indicating a point where properties cannot be precisely deciphered, with all equations going...

(translated in 2018)   The Truth Untold fascinates me ad infinitum. First of all, for this song, the creative team that works with BTS had...

(translated in 2021)   During the dog days of summer, the Korean peninsula enters its monsoon season, accompanied by weeks of often intense, unyielding rain...

Blue Side For the bridge, J-Hope writes two four-line stanzas of fixed length with matching rhyme schemes. They look deceptively simple, like a William Carlos...

Forever Rain “Forever Rain” my favorite track from his magnificent mixtape album “mono.” The song perfectly encapsulates the motif of the whole album, which deals...

A writer once said that each of us carries a crying child in a quiet corner of the heart. What does she mean? Even as...

I translated this song in 2019, but I can’t find the analysis I wrote then. I remember calling it one of BTS’s finest love ballads,...

Seoul In “Seoul,” RM takes us on a thought-provoking journey, offering perspectives that resonate with city dwellers everywhere. He explores themes of isolation and hopelessness...

(translated in 2019)   My initial attraction to Dionysus was due to its references to Greek mythology and the vibrant blend of trap and rock sounds....