MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – BTS fans, rejoice!

Korean pop group BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, is among the young disruptors featured in Forbes Magazine’s 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 – the only K-pop artists to make it to the prestigious list this year.

Thirty young impresarios were recognized in this year’s entertainment and sports category, including 7 South Korean artists and athletes: rock climber Kim Ja-in, golfer Park Sung-hyun, figure skater Young You, racer Yun Sung-bin, Actress Ahn Seo-hyun, and pianist Cho Seong-jin. 

BTS is a 7-member boyband who made a rare, successful crossover to the US mainstream market. According to the Forbes’ feature, the group was the first Korean boyband to perform at the American Music Awards in November 2017, and has appeared on popular US talk shows The Ellen DeGeneres Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Forbes said that in those appearances, the group ended up “leaving a trail of online hysteria and viral clips in their wake from a devout – and constantly growing – fanbase.”

“If you asked most Americans to name just one Korean performing artist in the last year, odds are high the answer would have been BTS,” Forbes wrote.

In an interview with Forbes, BTS thanked all those who helped them achieve the honor.

“We think so many people have helped us come this far,” BTS said. “We have seen the list in newspapers, sometime in the past. Being a part of it is [a] great honor.”

BTS is the only K-pop group on this year’s list. They join other K-pop stars who were selected in previous years: Jay Park, Jessica Jung, Eric Nam, Kris Wu, G-Dragon, Choi Si-won, and Im Yoon-ah. Big Bang made it to Forbes’ 30 under 30 list of most influential musicians in the world in 2017. 

Music producer and actor Kris Wu and ONE Championship Founder and CEO Chatri Sityodtong were among the judges for this year’s entertainment and sports category. – Rappler.com