From roof tiles to moon jars: BTS brings Korean heritage to the British Museum

Silla roof tiles, elegant moon jars, gold earrings of master craftsmanship — these are the artifacts BTS wants the world to see.

The group is bringing Korean cultural heritage to the British Museum in London.

According to the group's agency Hybe, an interactive gallery program called the Korea Gallery Trail is running at the British Museum's Korea Gallery through July 23 as part of "BTS THE CITY ARIRANG - LONDON."

The program aims to breathe contemporary life into artifacts of the past. Curated around the themes of resilience and solidarity embedded in BTS's fifth studio album Arirang, released in March, the trail links the Korea Gallery's permanent collection into a single guided journey.

At the heart of the Korea Gallery Trail is an organic curation that bridges time. Visitors move through a sequence of exhibits: a "sarangbang," or traditional reception room, evoking new beginnings; a moon jar embodying restrained humanist aesthetics; gold earrings representing the pinnacle of artisanal craft; and a Silla-era roof tile symbolizing cultural vitality.

According to Hybe, the program's concept was inspired by the striking of the Emille Bell — the Sacred Bell of King Seongdeok — featured in "No. 29," the sixth track on the album.

Music reinterpreting the acoustic heritage of the Unified Silla period through a modern sound mingles with visual relics from the same era inside the museum space. Visitors receive a digital guide via a QR code at the Korea Gallery entrance and can take part in a social campaign, "What is Your Arirang?", sharing personal reflections that connect the artifacts' significance to their own lives.

While the British Museum collaboration was driven by the symbolism of the new album, BTS — and particularly leader RM — has consistently championed traditional culture and the arts, working to bring the value of Korean heritage into the public domain.

In 2020, the group performed at Gyeongbokgung Palace's Geunjeongjeon throne hall and Gyeonghoeru pavilion for NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," showcasing the essence of Korean architecture to a global audience.

RM donated to the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation in 2021 and 2022, supporting the conservation and restoration of a Joseon-era "hwarot" ceremonial robe held by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and has led efforts to produce Korean painting catalogues for major museums around the world.

More recently, he was appointed the first global ambassador of the National Museum of Korea, and in October he will open a large-scale curated exhibition centered on his personal collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

Strong chart performance continues to fuel that cultural reach. The fifth studio album Arirang sits at No. 19 on the Billboard 200, while the title track "SWIM" has held a place on the Hot 100 at No. 76 for 15 consecutive weeks. The group also has 11 songs simultaneously charting on the Billboard Global (Excl. US) chart. That commercial reach serves as a bridge, drawing fans worldwide toward Korea's traditional narratives and heritage.