BTS dropped a short statement on Instagram — not about a comeback, but about skipping the Grammys this year. It’s short, formal, and a great mini-lesson in polite Korean. Let’s break it down.
저희는 올해 그래미에 출품하지 않기로 했습니다.
출품 (chulpum) means “send out” plus “item.” Think of an artist mailing a painting to a contest, or a kid entering their science fair volcano. That’s 출품 — sending your thing out to be judged.
~기로 했습니다 means “we decided to.” Same pattern as 이사하기로 했어요, meaning I decided to move.
음악이 지역이나 언어로 구분되기보다
구분 is like sorting laundry — whites here, colors there. BTS is saying, don’t put us in a box.
And here’s a bonus grammar point hiding in there: ~기보다 means “rather than.”
You’ll reach for this anytime you’re comparing two things — 말하기보다 듣는 게 좋아요, or “I’d rather listen than talk.”
사랑 받을 수 있기를 바랍니다.
사랑하다 means to love. Add 받다, meaning to receive, and 사랑 받다 becomes to be loved.
~기를 바랍니다 is very formal hoping, used in speeches and official statements. Friends would just say 잘 됐으면 좋겠어.
감사드립니다.
You already know 감사합니다. ~드리다 adds humility, like bowing a little lower. Idols use it with fans, employees with bosses.
Takeaway
Every sentence here ends in 습니다, the most formal ending in Korean. Compare that to how these members talk on variety shows, and you’ll start to feel how much formality shifts Korean!