Grace Kao, a professor of sociology at Yale University, poses before an interview at a hotel in central Seoul, April 25. (Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk)

Grace Kao, a renowned professor of sociology at Yale University, recently earned an unusual moniker: “an ARMY at Yale.” ARMY refers to the global fandom of K-pop juggernaut BTS. 

As her unique nickname suggests, Kao is a big fan of the Grammy-nominated septet.She started with BTS just like most Americans, but now, she follows many other groups including SEVENTEEN, Super Junior, ENHYPEN, NewJeans, VERIVERY and TRENDZ. Her knowledge of K-pop is deep enough to open an undergraduate course titled, “Race and Place in British New Wave, K-Pop and Beyond” at Yale. She has been teaching it since 2020.  

From a cursory glance, it seems a sociology professor – whose research mainly centers on race, ethnicity and migration – has no reason to delve into K-pop. But during a recent interview held at a hotel in central Seoul, Kao said K-pop does have a link to her areas of expertise. The interview took place when she visited Korea to speak at Korea and Yonsei universities, among others, about K-pop’s significance for Asian Americans and music.  

“I previously wrote a book about interracial friendships and romantic relationships and found that Asian American men are at the bottom of the dating hierarchy in the United States,” Kao said. “The stereotypes about Asian men were that they are like martial artists or geeky guys. BTS, however, was so striking.” 

The Asian American professor continued, “BTS is desirable and women would want to date its members. This is a big shift in terms of images of Asian American men in the U.S. So, in my head, it actually does have to do with things I have been studying for a long time.” 

BTS has played a role in dispelling stereotypes and combating racism, she says.  

“I think BTS has started the ball rolling,” she said. “I am not saying it is going to solve everything, but it did do a lot. Anytime the members face racism, ARMY would stand up and say this is not acceptable. In the past, I felt that no one really cared about Asians involved in racist incidents. It did not really make it into the newspapers and no one was able to demand a formal apology. Nobody got fired for making fun of Asians. But BTS has an ardent fan base that can bring racism and hate crimes to the forefront.” 

In one case, German radio host Matthias Matuschik came under fire in 2021 for ridiculing BTS’s cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” and likening the band to COVID-19 for no clear reason. He issued an apology in the face of severe criticism but was still fired as the host of his show. 

Professor Grace Kao, left, poses with her husband, Jeff Rubidge, before an interview at a hotel in central Seoul, April 25. (Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk)

BTS has made being Asian “cool” in the way that was not before, Kao noted. 

“‘The BTS benefit’ has spread to all Asians and even minorities,” she said. “Many of my students who love K-pop are from minority groups. They are Black or Hispanic and sometimes non-binary. They say they feel like K-pop is a safer space. [Through their songs,] BTS has said things that seem like it is very accepting of all kinds of groups, and I think its fandom is also a group of people that welcome diversity.”   

Kao believes K-pop should not ditch its “Korean elements” for its future.  

“When people are watching K-pop, they want to see Korean things,” she stressed. “They do not want K-pop to become a pure western product or an American thing. I think it should resist the temptation to look too western.” 

According to Kao, she first fell under the spell of BTS in 2019.  

“As a person growing up in the U.S., many of the bands that I loved the most were White or Black, but certainly not Asian,” she revealed. “So, it was a big deal when BTS performed on Saturday Night Live (SNL) in the U.S. in 2019, becoming the first Asian of any kind to appear on the program as the musical guests. It was a memorable moment not just for me, but for anyone my age who has been watching it. When I [first] saw BTS, I did not know who they were, but I was just mesmerized by their dancing and the way they gaze at the audience.” 

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kao could only use online platforms to learn about the group.  

“I was stuck at home like everyone else, so I thought it was a good time to watch more BTS videos,” Kao recalled. “After that I thought I should broaden my horizon, so I started watching other groups and decided to learn about K-pop.” 

Asked whether Yale plans to open more courses related to Korea and its culture, the professor revealed that the faculty shortage should be tackled in advance.  

“I think there is a great demand for these courses,” she pointed out. “But there are not that many faculty members who can teach them. Honestly, at places like Yale, the faculty have quite a bit of autonomy in what we want to teach but if there is no one with the expertise, it is not possible to have these classes. In the case of my class, which is a first-year seminar, you have to enter a lottery to get in. I am supposed to have 15 students, but I usually have something like 18. There also is a general intro to Korean Studies class taught by the director of the program. Yale and many others over the country are trying to offer more language classes to meet the growing demand.”