Shadowing Practice: FULL SPEECH: BTS’ RM Makes History at APEC Summit with Powerful Message on K-Pop & Creativity | AA1G - Learn English Speaking with Video
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to be here and to meet all the leaders of APAC here in Korea where I was born and raised.
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I'm honored to tell you about myself and to share my message.
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I'm so proud and excited that this year, for the first time, the cultural industry was chosen as a key agenda for APAC.
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I'm not sure how familiar you are with K-culture or K-pop,
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but I'm sure you all agree that the cultural industry has great economic value and growth potential.
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But I'm just an artist.
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I am not a business leader.
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I don't think you want to hear any numbers or figures from me.
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So today I want to speak to you as a creator and an artist.
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I want to share my thoughts on how K-pop crossed borders to move the hearts of people.
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It's not something we can really calculate or measure.
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It's a bridge that connects worlds.
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and I want to bring your attention to how we can work together to build this connection for tomorrow's creative cultural ecosystem.
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I'm a very lucky person.
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I'm lucky to have met these six other members of BTS.
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I'm lucky that I met our producer, Hitman Bang, who gave us his full support that we could make the music we love.
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But most importantly, I'm lucky I'm an ARMY who accept our music, not just as a diversion, but as our shared language of life.
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And by the way, ARMY is the name of the official BTS fandom for your information.
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The ARMY, shout out to ARMY all over the world.
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And the ARMY is where I just finished my military service.
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I was there for 18 months.
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I just wanted to make sure.
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So, Army support and passion crossed all borders and opened up a brand new path for me.
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They gave me a voice that was heard at the Billboard Music Awards, at the Grammys, at the United Nations, and even at the White House,
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at such historic and symbolic events like right here at the APAC.
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BTS first started to go outside Korea about 10 years ago.
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And back then, we didn't dream of what we see today.
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Nothing was like this.
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Did you ever turn on your TV or radio and hear a song that's not in your language or in English?
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Probably not very often, right?
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I felt how hard it is to ever hear a Korean song in an English-speaking country.
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I saw how high a cultural barrier could be.
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At that time, the music of BTS was quickly called non-English foreign culture.
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Trying to get on mainstream media through our music was like doing an experiment and a huge challenge.
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It was a test to see if music in Korean can work on the global stage.
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We tried to get on TV to show the world our music, but the doors were closed and would not move.
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But as you know, we couldn't just sit around and wait.
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We tried to make our own opportunities.
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We danced in the streets.
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We handed out flyers to free shows, but there was something even more difficult than those.
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When we said we are artists from Korea, they didn't ask us about our music.
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They asked, are you from North Korea or South Korea?
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Where on earth is Korea?
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So we had to explain where Korea was before we could even talk about about our music and that was the reality.
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But we overcame those barriers and now I'm here today sharing this precious moment with you.
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Army was the force that broke down those barriers.
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They used our music as the medium to carry out conversations that crossed borders and languages.
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They were inspired by the message in the music of bts to give to charity to run social campaigns
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and finally the world was amazed back then army was seen as supporters of a minority culture from asia
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now they shake the world as a new community and a fandom culture Even at this very moment,
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they're crossing borders and breaking down barriers through the pure power of cultural solidarity.
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Solidarity and tolerance that know no borders.
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And it's an endless source of creative inspiration for me as well.
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There is so much cultural content around the whole world. But why K-pop?
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Why is it so unique?
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Why does K-pop create this powerful and inclusive community?
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It's because of the special principle of unity of K-pop.
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This is what enables people from such diverse backgrounds to come together just through the medium of K-pop.
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I'd like to compare K-pop music to P-Bim-Bap.
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And bibimbap is a traditional Korean dish.
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You gotta taste it.
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So you take pap, which is rice, then you put all kinds of vegetables, meat, flavorings on top and mix it all up.
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And that's the peeping part.
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And K-pop is much the same.
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You take Korea's unique aesthetics,
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emotions, and production system but you don't turn away elements of western music like hip-hop r&b or edm just like pbm pop
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these parts all keep their unique identities but mixed together to make something new and fresh and delightful.
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K-pop is not just a genre of music.
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It is a 360-degree total package of music, dance, performance, visual style, storytelling,
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music video, and even social media.
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K-pop success didn't happen because one single culture was better.
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K-pop's success came from respecting diversity and embracing royal cultures, but still holding on to Korea's unique identity.
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When cultural barriers come down and different voices harmonize together, there's an explosion of creative energy.
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This is where ARMY's borderless solidarity came from.
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And this is why K-pop is loved everywhere.
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Culture is like a river.
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It flows freely, different streams sometimes coming together in harmony, just like K-pop.
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Coming together to carry itself far away and create something new.
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I like to see this creative flow of culture happen everywhere around the world,
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and the Asia-Pacific region has incredible dynamic cultural diversity.
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K-pop's shining success is proof that cultural diversity and creativity are the greatest human potential.
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A force with no borders, no limits to growth.
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Ladies and gentlemen, leaders of APAC, Let me ask you a question.
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What is your favorite song?
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Do you remember seeing a painting that took your breath away?
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Or a book you read over and over again?
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We all know, we all love culture and art.
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And we are connected by the emotion and resonance that that they awaken in us.
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As a creator and an artist of this generation, I'd like to use this opportunity to make a request to the leaders and distinguished guests of APAC.
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There are creators all around the world.
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Please help them.
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Give them the financial support so that their own creativity can bloom.
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Give them the opportunities so that their talents can really shine.
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When you think about investing in tomorrow's generations, think about culture as well as economics.
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Culture and art are a powerful force that moves hearts.
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They are the fastest messengers that carry diversity and resonance.
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As the leaders of AIPAC, your policies and support will be the canvas and playground for all the creators.
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The foundation for creators all over the world to pour out their creativity.
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When creators flourish, other elements of culture gather to form brand new aesthetics.
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Their content will go beyond all kinds of differences.
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They will blaze a road of true understanding and tolerance.
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They will create the power of solidarity for the future.
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I, too, stand by the vision of APAC.
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a vision that will drive diversity, inclusion, and growth through culture and creativity.
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As an artist, I promise that I will also let my imagination fill the canvas you will create.
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I will play my heart out in the playground you will build for us.
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I promise that I'll do my part by sending a message of courage and hope and lots of emotions through music.
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A message of embracing our differences to make something better together.
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I'd like to ask for your support for this future, and I think and I believe you can make this happen.
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Your support can make creators let their creativity soar.
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With your help, their creations will resonate around the whole world.
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Thank you very much.
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Please give it up for RM.
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What a fascinating speech.
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Let's give him a strong round of applause.
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Thank you so much.
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It was great to have him here.
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What a breath of fresh air, if I may say.
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We're again resetting the stage to provide a perfect stage for our next speakers.
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It won't take long, so please remain seated.
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Whenever the stage is ready, we will continue with our remaining sessions.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “FULL SPEECH: BTS’ RM Makes History at APEC Summit with Powerful Message on K-Pop & Creativity”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: pop, culture, cultural, army, creator. This video has 121 sentences and 1477 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:52. The speaker talks at a steady 124 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| creativity noun | /kri.eɪˈtɪv.ᵻ.ti/ | The ability to use imagination to produce a novel idea or product. |
| barrier noun | /ˈbæɹi.ə/ | A structure that bars passage. |
| solidarity noun | /ˌsɑ.ləˈdæɹ.ə.ti/ | A bond of unity or agreement between individuals, united around a common goal or against a common enemy, such as the unifying principle that defines the labor… |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| fandom noun | /ˈfændəm/ | The fans of a sport, activity, work, person etc., taken as a group. |
| aesthetics noun | /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪks/ | The study or philosophy of beauty. |
| resonance noun | /ˈɹɛzənəns/ | The quality of being resonant. |
| playground noun | /ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/ | A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides). |
| canvas noun | /ˈkæn.vəs/ | A type of coarse cloth, woven from hemp (traditionally) or from cotton and polyesters, useful for making sails, tents, and overcoats or as a surface for… |
| tolerance noun | /ˈtɑ.lə.ɹəns/ | The ability or practice of tolerating; an acceptance of or patience with the beliefs, opinions or practices of others; a lack of bigotry. |
| embrace verb | /ɛmˈbɹes/ | To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug. |
| shine verb | /ʃaɪn/ | To emit or reflect light so as to glow. |
| awaken verb | /əˈweɪkən/ | To cause to become awake. |
| bibimbap noun | A Korean dish of white rice topped with vegetables, beef, a whole egg, and gochujang (chili pepper paste). | |
| borderless adjective | Not having a border. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| carry out verb | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | To hold while moving it out. |
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| come together verb | /ˈkʌm tʊˈɡɛðɚ/ | To assemble; to congregate; to combine. |
| hand out verb | To distribute; to give out, either by hand or as if so (figuratively). | |
| open up verb | To open. | |
| read over verb | To read (a document, book, etc.) through, though not necessarily thoroughly. | |
| sit around verb | To spend time sitting idly, not doing anything important. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- It's not something we can really calculate or measure.
- I'm a very lucky person.
- What is your favorite song?
- Do you remember seeing a painting that took your breath away?
- Let's give him a strong round of applause.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, shine /ʃaɪn/, diversion /dɪˈvɝ.ʒən/, flourish /ˈflʊ̈ɹ.ɪʃ/, distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: creativity /kri.eɪˈtɪv.ᵻ.ti/, solidarity /ˌsɑ.ləˈdæɹ.ə.ti/, ecosystem /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like creativity, barrier, solidarity.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.