Here's a brief recap of my personal experience at HYBE Insight in Seoul, Korea - an absolute must-visit for any lover of art, music, dance, K-pop, and definitely for any fan of BTS.
So, I had to go check it out.
HYBE recently built a massively large building in the Yongsan district of downtown Seoul.
Big Hit, once a tiny label, who became successful because they valued originality and creativity (aka: BTS) - has since transitioned into HYBE - now a musical powerhouse that continues to acquire new talent around the world and pretty much just utterly dominate the entire music industry in Korea, and, the world.
In homage of the insane scale of their success, HYBE has built an entire museum dedicated to their artists and, like everything else they do - it is beyond impressive.
The museum encompasses two entire basement floors of the HYBE building.
It's like entering an underground bunker full of magic.
Then, most everything actually inside HYBE Insight is on a very serious lockdown.
Photography is extremely limited, videography is banned, and you can't screenshot anything in the app either.
If you're dying for more tea, they post some pics on Twitter, but personally, I'd recommend going and being surprised.
There is so much packed into this place - it truly must be experienced in person.
Photos just do not do it justice.
So, here are some of my very favorite parts (where photos were allowed).
The museum boasts an entirely multi-sensory experience to fully envelop you into the art of creating and experiencing music.
There are sound vibrations to touch and feel.. music to hear... art, dance, and photography to see.. food and drinks to taste... and this super interesting room dedicated purely to scent.
This room is delicately created in honor of the song Euphoria, with muted flowers and greens hanging from the ceiling, and putty-like grey walls adorned with inverted holes filled with a fresh, flowery fragrance to smell.
It is ethereal and other-worldly.
Showcases of costumes worn during concerts makes you feel so close to BTS.
These outfits on display were worn during Mic Drop performances.
The details of the jackets, shirts, buckles, pants, and boots were incredible.
The power these clothes give off is almost tangible.
It's like standing before greatness.
One of the many, many, many art installations in the museum included a collage of all the album concept ideas, and was assembled in meaningful way to illustrate the individual and collective themes they wanted to convey for each album.
Sometimes the layers of meaning and sheer attention to detail to such extremes really blows me away.
A massively long wall showcased a giant photography collection of all the artists under HYBE labels.
Like the carefully curated gallery it is, each photo feels like it exactly captures each artist's essence.
After hearing so many stories about difficulties and stresses throughout the museum - at this exhibit, you can truly appreciate the talented artists they are, along with all the hardships they've gone through, the obstacles they've overcome, the hard work they've put in, and all their well-deserved successes.
It evokes (dare I say - bittersweet) feelings of pride and gratitude that these artists have given us their passions and their lives.
Many objects were donated to the museum from the artists themselves.
Seeing them all up close, within inches of your very eyeballs, is just astounding.
If you saw the Butter Unboxing, you can see the boxes they decorated all up-close.
You can even see Yoongi's own personal black guitar.
Overall - I think HYBE Insight makes you laugh and smile, it helps you learn, understand and appreciate, and ultimately - it just makes you feel good, which is exactly what they want - so I highly recommend a visit for any fan in Korea!
