'Alchemist' author Paulo Coelho says BTS has succeeded in ways that no one has ever done.

 Paul Coelho, author of the best-selling "Alchemist," expressed his respect for BTS (BTS).

"BTS succeeded in a way that no one has ever done," Coelho said in a special interview video sent to the "3rd BTS: International Conference" at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies' Seoul Campus on the 14th. "I have infinite respect for BTS."

Coelho has been a fan of BTS. In 2020, he posted a comment on his SNS account criticizing someone who criticized BTS.

In the video, Coelho said about the situation at the time, "I thought BTS was being unfairly attacked, so I tweeted," and recalled, "Many followers left when I defended BTS."

"If I think it's unfair, I have to try to fix it," he said. "I wanted to be firm about my position for BTS."

"The BTS is like an empty beach," Coelho said, explaining BTS's embrace, "Without anyone forcing her to do it, mothers can gather among mothers, people who want to exercise, and young people who want to have a good time."

The writer also thought positively about solidarity activities with BTS fandom "ARMY." Writing is a very lonely task, he said. "So if I have a chance to collaborate with ARMY, I will be happy to collaborate with ARMY."

Ahn Jung-sun, CEO of the Korea Institute for Agricultural and Child Education, also participated in the conference and presented BTS' influence as a fan of BTS, who uses sign language as the first language.

CEO Ahn, who participated in BTS's Los Angeles concert in 2019, said he was deeply moved to see sign language interpreters at the concert hall and more than 20 deaf and deaf people enjoying the performance comfortably.

CEO Ahn, who returned to Korea, sent an e-mail to his agency, thinking, "Why can't we do it in the U.S., but not in Korea?" and asked for a sign language interpreter (at the 2019 Seoul concert).

CEO Ahn posted a tweet demanding sign language interpretation as communication with his agency Big Hit Music did not go well through email. Many ARMYs retweeted the tweet and eventually received a response from their agency to deploy sign language interpreters to the concert.

CEO Ahn said, "I think BTS' influence comes from various aspects," adding, "Now, the accessibility ratio to cultural life of deaf children is less than 10%, but I hope it will increase to more than 90% (through BTS' influence)."

The conference, which will be held for the first time at Kingston University in the UK in 2020, will be held until the 16th.

The event will be co-hosted by the International Society for BTS Studies, which studies the phenomena created by BTS and ARMY, and the Semiosys Research Center at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

At the event, under the theme of "The Post-Pandemic Era, the Encounter with New Humanity," BTS and ARMY will talk about what influence they can exert to restore humanity in the chaotic current era of Pandemic and war.