This year, BTS is to be awarded by The Korea Society its highest honor alongside two other outstanding recipients: American veterans who served in the Korean War, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Korea Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of “awareness, understanding, and cooperation” between the United States and South Korea. The James A. Van Fleet Award, their highest honor, is given yearly to notable Koreans or Americans for their outstanding contributions to the promotion of US-Korea relations.

Usually it is formally presented to recipients at The Korea Society’s Annual Gala, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, alternate arrangements are being made. Instead, BTS will receive the award at a virtual event with the theme “Enduring Alliance, Expanding Horizons” on October 7.

In its 25-year history, BTS are the youngest recipients to receive the James A. Van Fleet Award , as well as the Order of Cultural Merit, which they were given in 2018.