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BTS made the cover of Rolling Stone's June issue.

BTS has been placed on the cover of Rolling Stone, marking the first time a music group of Asian descent has been placed on the magazine's cover.

Rolling Stone announced on Twitter Thursday that "BTS appears on our June cover" and posted an interview with the group on its homepage.

Rolling Stone noted that "BTS is the first all-Asian act to appear on the cover of the magazine in its 54-year history, further proving the power and influence of the group."

The magazine's article on BTS, entitled "The Triumph of BTS: How seven young superstars rewrote music-biz rules and became the biggest band in the world," delved into how the band got together and how they make their music.

The article noted that "BTS' magical levels of charisma, their genre-defying, sleek-but-personal music — every bit of it feels like a visitation from some brighter, more hopeful timeline."

“Now, of course, there is no utopia," RM, the band's leader, was quoted as saying. "It's our hope, too, that people in the minority will draw some energy and strength from our existence."

The article noted that the band members shed tears in front of fans on the stage, use cosmetics, and dye their hair in dazzling colors and that all this is part of the group's "instinctive rejection of rigid conceptions of masculinity." "The labels of what being masculine is, is an outdated concept. It is not our intention to break down," RM was quoted as saying.

"But if we are making a positive impact, we are very thankful. We live in an age where we shouldn't have those labels or have those restrictions."

RM also described his band's holding of stocks in Hybe, the group's label (formerly known as Big Hit Entertainment), as "very significant," and explained that the success of the label becomes "our success," which in turn becomes the label's success.

Rolling Stone's article also described efforts by the Korean government to pass the so-called "BTS Law," which has allowed the band's members to delay their mandatory military service given their significant impact on popular culture and the arts in Korea.

Jin, the oldest member of the group, told Rolling Stone that "I think the country sort of told me, 'You're doing this well, and we will give you a little more time.'" He also noted that military service "is an important duty for our country."

When asked about the possibility that he would have to join the military first and let other members continue the work of the band, Jin said, "I have no doubt that the other members will make a good decision because, you know, this is not something that I can tell them what to do. [If they do spend time as a six-piece,] I'll be sad, but I'll be watching them on the internet and cheering them on."

He also told the magazine that "I would like to think that at the end, when I'm too old to dance, I would just like to sit onstage with the other members and sing and engage with the fans. I think that would be great, too. So I'd like to keep this going as long as I possibly can."

By Suh Jung-min, music correspondent

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