BTS are often crowded by fans when arriving at airports (Picture: Big Hit)

BTS are the world’s biggest K-pop group and while achieving that level of fame and success comes with many positives, there are certain downsides.

So the Purple Ribbon Army have made it their goal to try and lessen some of the stress faced by the seven members as they travel the globe.

International fans rarely get to see their favourites, so seeing them arrive at the airport in their city can seem like a great way to get up close. More often than not, however, these scenes turn chaotic and being mobbed by fans can be a dangerous and terrifying experience for the artist.



Ashley, a 36-year-old who lives in Florida and an ARMY since early 2017, was inspired to take action after seeing ARMY crowding BTS at Gimpo airport on 25 April this year.


‘Fans swarmed them to the point that Jimin stumbled and nearly fell to the ground, and J-Hope appeared to have been hit in the wrist either by a fan or camera,’ she recalled.

‘I’ve done event planning and logistics for about 15 years now and the first thing that came to mind was the idea of trying to get BTS ARMY members to form some type of perimeter of protection.’

i used the wrong hashtag so WHOOPS BUT #iVoteBTSBBMAs pic.twitter.com/cyyBbaZvu0 — ESMERALDA (@weirdsunsets) May 14, 2018

Purple, a significant colour for ARMY (you can often see the words ‘I Purple U’ in ARMY tweets), seemed the obvious choice for the ribbon that would be held by ARMY on the front lines and help keep fans from crushing the group.

‘V told fans, “Purple is the last colour of the rainbow’s colours. Purple means I will trust and love you for a long time”,’ said Ashley, who first posted about the idea on her Twitter in late April.

‘My sister created the hashtag #PurpleRibbonARMY, and when I saw that ARMYs were beginning to create graphics based on my initial tweet, I knew it had the potential to become something special.’

Having recognised the need for the barrier to allow BTS to move through airports freely and with less reliance on a wall of security around them, Ashley partnered with another Twitter group, @ProtectionArmy, who ‘connect ARMYs within specific regions so that they can coordinate these efforts as teams’ as part of raising awareness across the fandom globally.

Their first run came on 14 May when BTS touched down at LAX, and, like all new projects, it hit a few hitches.

For people wondering, all the ARMYs at LAX got a copy of this for the purple ribbon project #IVoteBTSBBMAs pic.twitter.com/EKSPHPZ2q3 — Yalda •̀ㅅ•́ FAKE LOVE? (@trashforseokjin) May 14, 2018

‘Not only has the #PurpleRibbonARMY movement only been in existence for a few weeks, but we had projected that BTS would fly into LAX on about the 16th. When

Big Hit announced on the 14th that BTS would be flying to LAX that afternoon, we had to speed up our planning and go into high gear very suddenly.’

Ashley, who was unable to be there herself, found out afterwards ‘that out of 100 people that showed interest, only about 20 volunteers we had trained were actually able to be at the airport.’

#PurpleRibbonARMY is here and waiting for @BTS_twt. All ARMYs please help us make this a beautiful moment. ? pic.twitter.com/ldS8P21iwu — ? DEE ~ JINISE ? (@LockOutOfHeaven) May 14, 2018

Some fans who watched the videos taken at LAX saw chaotic scenes within the terminal and declared the Purple Ribbon movement a failure, but many others were quick to point that beyond the interior, the ribbon and ARMY were doing exactly what they intended, and praised and encouraged the initiative.



‘At LAX, our team distributed the ribbons,’ explained Ashley, ‘and attempted to recruit as many ARMYs as possible to assist with forming the perimeter. They also handed out informational cards that described the project and listed guidelines for behavior. Many did want to help, but others cursed at our team or refused to assist.

‘LAX airport security actually requested nearly our entire team to assist in the area around BTS’s vehicles but it meant that our representation inside the terminal was almost nonexistent. We had 20 people attempting to hold back several hundred, and that is an impossible task. I am incredibly proud for what they were able to accomplish in the face of those odds.’

Ashley hopes there will be more and more ARMY who join and help turn the movement into a global one.

‘The basic requirement is to be a member of the BTS ARMY who has the desire to protect BTS and will commit to stand their ground, and hold the protective line even if others swarm them or are behaving inappropriately,’ she said.

‘You can DM us @PurpleRibbnARMY for information and instructions on how to become a team member but ARMYs who come to airports to meet BTS worldwide can show their support through tweeting the official hashtag and by remaining calm, without running, screaming, pushing, or swarming them – just be respectful and give BTS the space they need to feel safe and comfortable.’

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