‘IDOL’ breaks through 800 million views

Big Hit Entertainment congratulates BTS's music video ″IDOL″ to surpass 800 million views on Wednesday evening. [BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT]

BTS’s “IDOL” music video surpassed 800 million views on YouTube as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to Big Hit Entertainment on Thursday.

This is the fifth BTS music video to break the 800 million mark on YouTube after “DNA,” “Boy With Luv,” “Fake Love” and “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix).”

“IDOL” has colorful graphics depicting a tropical Savana grassland and bukcheong sajanoreum, the Korean lion mask dance. The septet uses samulnori, traditional Korean percussion, and talchum, another kind of mask dance, in the video.

In September, the group did a performance of “IDOL” during “BTS Week” on American TV channel NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” which they filmed in Gyeongbok Palace’s Geunjeongjeon Hall in central Seoul.

The song debuted at No. 11 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in August 2018 and also ranked No. 21 on the Official UK Top 40 Singles chart.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]