BTS Don’t Need United Nations Approval for ‘Permission to Dance’

BTS boogie through the halls of the United Nations in a new performance video for their song “Permission to Dance.” The South Korean superstars recorded the clip while on hand at the 76th United Nations General Assembly, where they also shared some remarks as youth ambassadors.

BTS’ performance of “Permission to Dance” began in the UN’s grand Assembly Hall, with Jung Kook delivering the song’s opening lines from the main dais. As the rest of the group emerged, BTS shimmied into the lobby before ending the performance with a big dance party on the East River as the New York City skyline hung in the background. 

As The Washington Post reports, BTS have visited the United Nations twice before, but this time they arrived as the “special presidential envoy for future generations and culture,” as designated by South Korean President Moon Jae-in. During a conference on climate change, poverty, and inequality Monday morning, September 20th, BTS delivered a speech that contained remarks and anecdotes from young people around the world who’d responded to the group’s social media question: “What were the past two years like for you, and what’s your world like today?” 

“I’ve heard that people in their teens and twenties today are being referred to as Covid’s lost generation,” BTS’ RM said. “I think it’s a stretch to say they’re lost, just because the path they tread can’t be seen by grown-up eyes.”