"Prince of Korea": Fans stunned as BTS Jimin gets mentioned by Harvard University for their latest case study of K-Food Globalization success story

On January 31, 2024, BTS member Park Jimin made headlines, as he was mentioned by Harvard University Education CEO during their case study on the influence and recent popularity of K-food that led to its globalization.

In the case study, Harvard mentioned that fans abroad started to take part in the "spicy taste challenge," which involves uploading videos of themselves consuming spicy ramen after BTS member Jimin consumed hot chicken stir-fried noodles during a YouTube live broadcast.

Fans are happy to see the Like Crazy singer-songwriter being mentioned in case studies at prestigious universities such as Harvard. One fan even wrote on Twitter, hailing the BTS idol as "Prince of Korea."

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"You cannot make this up": Fans swell with pride as BTS' Jimin gets mentioned in Harvard University's research papers

The case study highlights how the BTS global star's influence has accelerated the popularity of Korean food across the world and also skyrocketed several businesses. For instance, the Korean fried chicken brand Chicken Plus, saw a massive surge in orders after the Like Crazy singer-songwriter was seen ordering from them in the docu-series BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star.

The Korea Customs Service said on January 16, 2024, that the estimated 2023 export value of ramen, a typical K-food, was $952 million (about 1.2 trillion won), a 24% rise from the year before, marking a new high. From January to November of 2023, China reportedly accounted for $199.48 million of ramen exports, with the United States coming in second at $105.71 million. Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Japan came in third through fifth places, respectively.

Interestingly, Jimin's popularity is not just limited to that, since his visits to restaurants have also increased the customer base by tenfold, just the way it did for the Japanese restaurant CoCo Ichibanya. With the Hallyu wave, which was bolstered by BTS' global success and stronghold on the international music scene, the surge in interest in Korean food and cuisine has increased massively.

The BTS ARMY went gaga over Jimin's popularity, as he has been mentioned in Harvard University's case study as well. Fans therefore went to Twitter and lavished praises on the Serendipity singer.

To fulfil demand from overseas, the sector is growing its facilities in order to increase their output. In 2022, Nongshim constructed a second factory in the United States in California, and in the second half of this year, it intends to run one more line. Since May 2023, Samyang Foods has reportedly been running Miryang Factory 1, a manufacturing base dedicated to exports, while the year 2025 is the anticipated completion date for Miryang Factory 2.

Now, both Chicken Plus and CoCo Ichibanya have witnessed humungous spikes in their sales and profits attributed to Jimin's mention of them. The K-culture of Korea has expanded to become a global cultural powerhouse, and, as a result, K-food has gained international attention.

The BTS ARMY has also contributed to this movement since they often prefer to purchase from restaurants and cafés liked by BTS members.

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In other news, Jimin's title track Like Crazy from his solo debut album FACE has peaked at No. 68 on Spotify Daily Top Songs Global, as of January 30, 2024. The idol has been serving in the military since December 12, 2023, and would be away from the spotlight till June 2025.