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Hanwha skyscraper enjoys international exposure on MTV thanks to BTS

Aug. 31, 2020 - 17:41 By Yim Hyun-su
(YouTube)
Hanwha Group’s skyscraper 63 Square, more commonly known as 63 Building, made a cameo appearance with BTS at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.

During the septet’s performance of their new single “Dynamite,” Seoul’s landmarks stood tall in the backdrop alongside a display of fireworks over what appears to be the Han River.

“Shining through the city with a little funk and soul,” bandmate Jin belted out the last round of the chorus as the conglomerate’s name was dimly visible at the top of the building.

Despite the commercial optics, the company says it was not prompted by them.

“It wasn’t an advertisement on our part. It seems that building made its way into the scene because of the lyric ‘So watch me bring the fire and set the night alight,’” one official at Hanwha Group said.

Designed by US architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the building was built in 1985 and remained the tallest building in the country until 2003.

Hanwha Group is one of South Korea’s bigger conglomerates, boasting dozens of affiliates, including Hanwha Energy and Hanwha Chemical.

The prerecorded performance saw the group dance in front of images of the Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square in New York before aptly transitioning to Yeouido, a financial district in central Seoul.

BTS made history at the awards show, bagging four awards, for best pop, best group, best K-pop and best choreography.

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)