What tastes like a Korean pancake and is purple all over? An Oreo inspired by K-pop group BTS

Oreo is teaming up with K-pop supergroup BTS for a bit of marketing dynamite that capitalizes on consumers' growing interest in global flavors. Mondelez, Oreo's parent company, said that BTS-themed Oreos would go on sale June 1 online and June 8 in stores. The cookies, which feature purple wafers in a nod to the band's signature color, would be sold in more than 80 markets around the world, making the partnership the brand's biggest to date. The band also designed 13 embossments for the wafers, including the names of the seven members and an outline of the light stick that fans hold at BTS concerts. The white-and-tan creme center of the sandwich cookies was formulated to taste like hotteok, a warm, brown sugar-stuffed pancake that's a popular Korean street food. "For Oreo to be the first snacking brand we've collaborated with globally is a huge honor. We ate them as kids, we eat them in the studio, and now Oreo is helping us share a taste of home with the world," BTS said in a statement. BTS Oreos will be sold for a limited time. Chicago-based Mondelez wouldn't say how many packages it's making. Martin Renaud, Mondelez's chief marketing and sales officer, said the BTS cookies strike a balance of staying true to Korean culture and food while remaining consistent with Oreo's brand and flavoring. "You want to be authentic, you want to be differentiated, and live an experience. But when you are Oreo, you need to be pleasing a large group of people," Renaud told The Associated Press. "You cannot come up with something that will be liked only by 20% of the population because it would alienate some of our customers." Renaud said Oreo spent around two years developing the BTS cookie, eventually narrowing the possible flavors to three before settling on hotteok. In recent years, Oreo has partnered with Coca-Cola, singer and actress Selena Gomez, and the K-pop girl band Blackpink, among others. The brand also offers limited-time flavors in specific markets, like cherry sakura in Japan and red bean paste in China. This article was provided by The Associated Press.