BTS pic propels out-of-print book back onto bestseller list

TORONTO —
The leader of K-pop super group BTS, known by his stage name RM, has caused a book which has been out of print for almost 20 years in South Korea to skyrocket to the bestseller list after he was photographed reading it.

According to local reports, when a photo was published on Aug. 10 of RM reading the book “Dying Young,” an anthology about the lives and works of 12 Korean artists who died early in life, it caused the book to soar to the top of the sales lists, according to the country’s largest bookstore chain, Kyobo Book Centre.

It quickly disappeared from stores, and fans who were unable to get their hands on a copy even contacted the publisher, Hyohyung Publishing, asking to for a reprint.

This is not the first time fans of BTS have caused items – even more mundane products – to disappear from shelves.

When BTS fans, known as ‘ARMY’, heard about which fabric softener member Jungkook prefers, shelves in parts of South Korea were empty within hours.

Similarly, stock of the particular lip balm BTS member V was pictured using were quickly sold out online and in stores.