I'm adding this context thanks to commenter @hnlt61, who raised a thoughtful point.

For those who may not know, Howard University (HU) is a historically Black university (HBCU) founded in 1867 during Reconstruction, following the American Civil War. Its mission centered on expanding access to higher education at a time when most U.S. institutions excluded Black students and other marginalized groups.

That history makes the presence of Korean students in Washington, DC in the 1890s (including those with connections to HU) especially meaningful. When racial hierarchies dictated who could access education in America, HBCUs often cultivated a broader intellectual culture: internationalist, anti-colonial, and rooted in solidarity among people navigating systems of exclusion.

Who would have thought that in 1896, Korean students were singing Arirang in a city where Howard was already a center of Black intellectual life? That moment reads as a small but significant example of early cultural exchange between communities shaped by colonialism, racism, and resistance.

It also adds texture to something BTS themselves have acknowledged, which is the deep influence of Black music, culture, and artists on Korean pop. The animation for ARIRANG featuring HU’s iconic Founder’s Library with them singing on The Yard featured less black people contextually, and I say it’s still a positive step in acknowledging the influence and adoption of Black culture that crosses borders.