“Arirang” has been sung for centuries and has hundreds, if not thousands, of versions. The song describes the agony of two Koreans who fall in love but are separated. It took on added significance as conflict, and colonialism divided the people of the peninsula in the 19th and 20th centuries, separating loved ones in wartime and leading to the eventual division of the Korean peninsula after World War II. After Japan took over Korea in the 1900s and the Korean national anthem was banned, Koreans sang Arirang as a form of defiance. As demonstrated by BTS’s reverence for the song, it continues to be an important expression of the importance of connection.
Lyrics of a popular version of the song (translated into English) include:
Arirang, arirang, arariyo.
You are going over Arirang Hill.
My love, if you abandon me
Your feet will be sore before you go ten ri*.
Just as there are many stars in the clear sky,
There are also many dreams in our heart.
There, over there, that mountain is Baekdu Mountain,
Where, even in the middle of winter days, flowers bloom.
* A ri is an Asian unit of measure equal to about 3.93 kilometers.
BTS’s teaser video brings to light some important issues as the world navigates growing cultural intersections. The video properly acknowledges Howard’s role in educating the students who would make history. However, there are some inaccuracies. The video prominently features the iconic Founders Library, the first site at an HBCU to be named a national treasure, which wasn’t constructed at the time. In addition, most of the people depicted in the audience on The Yard are not Black, which belies the institution’s history as one of the country’s leading colleges with a predominantly Black student body. Though much of the faculty at the time was not Black, the video does elucidate the need for cultural sensitivity and historical accuracy even when intentions are positive.
HBCUs have always been bastions of academic opportunity for everyone, debunking the myth that only Black students attend. Great colleges prepare students for global leadership, and that preparation includes exposure to peers from diverse backgrounds who attend HBCUs because of world-class academic programs and their respect for Black traditions and culture. There is no contradiction in the fact that these Korean students were enrolled at Howard — well known as a leading, historically Black university. Unlike most prominent colleges at the time, Howard was explicitly founded to provide academic opportunity to talented scholars regardless of racial background, and many exclusively white colleges refused to welcome Asian and other international students at the time. During the 1896-1897 academic year, Howard’s student body included students from Honduras, Japan, the West Indies, and various African countries, in addition to Korea. Like Howard, HBCUs across the country have historically welcomed students from diverse cultural backgrounds even as they have celebrated the richness of Black academic and cultural traditions. Like all cultures, Black culture is influenced by others, and Howard’s international students have always added to the university’s distinctiveness as a center of global culture.
“Howard’s legacy has always been one of open arms, welcoming people from every corner of the globe,” said Benjamin Talton, Ph.D., executive director of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center and professor in the Department of History. “Its spirit of internationalism is reflected in moments like 1896, when seven Korean students found a home here. This enduring tradition affirms that both Howard and black America stand as among the world’s most inclusive, accommodating, and accepting communities.”
It’s not hard to recognize the influence of Black culture on K-Pop. The groups borrow heavily on the performance model of 80s and 90s American singing groups, originating with New Edition and extending to the Backstreet Boys and N-Sync. New Edition, in turn, was heavily influenced by Motown-era groups such as the Jackson Five and the Temptations. K-Pop stars also often replicate hip hop fashion and dance, another cultural contribution by Black Americans which has taken on global popularity. The K-Pop phenomenon has also triggered a legitimate conversation about cultural appropriation, in which artistry, expression, and traditions which originated in Black communities are usurped by people from other communities without an understanding of the related history, sensitivities, and contexts. When meaningful cultural expression is contorted into superficial entertainment, it can become a disrespectful form of mimicry and perpetuate negative stereotypes, especially when used for commercial purposes without attribution or royalties. Cultural appropriation has been a byproduct of Black genius throughout American history. Al Jolson infamously used blackface to parrot Black culture and became one of the most successful performers of the early 1900s. During the 1950s and 1960s, songs by Motown artists were quickly recorded by more widely known white artists, who passed the recordings off as originals and garnered huge hits. At the same time, Chuck Berry was pioneering rock and roll music, even as the credit for the creation of the genre was incredulously given to white artists like Elvis Presley. Countless Black fine artists, dancers, writers, and comedians have had their signature work stolen and presented as new and inventive by performers from other racial groups, leading to understandable sensitivity about the derivation of artforms like K-Pop.
Howard continues to celebrate its international connections and cultural dexterity, proving that even at an institution where Blacks make up the majority of the student body, those students are not monolithic and have diverse interests. While many students demand recognition of Black creativity and attribution to the artists and everyday people in the Black community who shape trends, they appreciate the intersection between all cultures. That’s especially evident for students who study in Howard’s Department of World Languages and Cultures, one of the university’s largest academic units. For example, Howard has an award-winning K-Pop dance team, which performs at various events throughout the year.
Founded in 2022, by Kristen McDaniels (B.S. ’25), Howard University’s One of a Kind (1OAK) is the first K-pop dance team at an HBCU, created by members of Howard’s Korean Culture Club to build a space for creativity, positivity, and cross-cultural engagement. Since its founding, the team has earned national recognition — winning the Washington D.C. Korean Culture Center K-Pop Dance and Singing Competition in both 2023 and 2024, performing at institutions including George Washington University, University of Maryland, Georgetown University, and more, and being scouted to perform at The Art of Living’s World Culture Festival alongside Dtrix. Guided by its mission to “enlighten and empower Howard University students as they perfect Korean pop choreography,” 1OAK works to bridge Black and Korean cultural influences while fostering a welcoming environment centered on expression, creativity, and community.
