Jungkook

Some Lesser Known Facts About Jungkook

• Jungkook was born in Busan and did his elementary schooling there; however, in a 2023 interview, he revealed that he did not have a lot of memories of Busan as the experiences he gained in Seoul after he became a K-pop idol trainee, he could not recall many memories of Busan. ^[36]YouTube – Apple Music

  

• He holds a black belt in Taekwondo. When he was 12 years old, he began to train in the Korean martial arts. ^[37]Lifestyle Asia

• When he was a kid, he fought with his elder brother over a computer during which he got injured and got a scar on his left cheek.

  

• Jungkook gave an audition for season 3 of Superstar K, a South Korean talent show, in 2011, when the show was conducting its auditions in Daegu, South Korea. Although he could not clear the audition, he later received a total of seven offers from various South Korean entertainment agencies. ^[38]Naver

  

• He was just 13 years old when he auditioned for Big Hit Entertainment (now Big Hit Music).

• He once revealed that out of all the entertainment companies, he decided to join Big Hit Entertainment as a trainee, after seeing the performance of RM, a fellow Jungkook bandmate and leader of their world-famous boy band BTS. ^[39]Lifestyle Asia

• In 2010, he moved from Busan to Seoul to start his training to become a K-pop idol.

  

• During his trainee days at Big Hit Entertainment, he went to Los Angeles during the summer of 2012 to sharpen his dance skills at Movement Lifestyle for his debut.

  

• After returning from Los Angeles to South Korea, he thought about becoming a dancer instead of a K-pop idol; however, Jimin, now his fellow band member, convinced him to become a member of BTS.

• Before his debut, he appeared in the music video of the 2012 South Korean song ‘I’m Da One’ by Jo Kwon. He also performed as a backup dancer for the South Korean girl group Glam.

  

• In many interviews, he has shared that before his debut, he thought of many stage names including Seagull, which is the official bird of Busan, his hometown. ^[40]Lifestyle Asia

• He became fond of beatboxing during his debut days. ^[41]Lifestyle Asia

• On 12 June 2013, at the age of 15, he debuted as a vocalist of the boy band BTS (Korean: Bangtan Sonyeondan; English: Bulletproof Boy Scouts), along with other six members named RM (rapper), Jin (vocalist), Suga (rapper), J-Hope (rapper), Jimin (vocalist), and V (vocalist).

  

• Jungkook is the youngest member of BTS.

• In September 2015, he became a member of the ‘One Dream, One Korea’ campaign for which he lent his voice to a song in collaboration with multiple Korean artists to honour the Korean War (1950-1953).

• In 2016, he appeared as a cast member in the first episode of the South Korean travel reality show ‘Flower Crew.’

  

• In November 2016, he decided not to take Korea’s nationwide university entrance exam, CSAT.

• He sang the solo song ‘Begin’ from BTS’ 2016 South Korean album ‘Wings.’ In the song, he talked about the time when he was a kid and came to Seoul to pursue his dream and expressed his gratitude towards his six elder members, who took care of him.

• Besides singing, he has also produced many songs including ‘Love is Not Over’ from BTS’ 2015 EP ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1’ and ‘Magic Shop’ from BTS’ sixth studio album ‘Love Yourself: Tear’ released in 2018.

  

• Along with BTS, he has released many Japanese albums including ‘Youth’ (2016), ‘Face Yourself’ (2018), ‘Map of the Soul: 7 – The Journey’ (2020).

  

• During BTS’ 2017 The Wings Tour, he was feeling unwell while performing with his members on stage. After the show, he collapsed in a room; however, he recovered soon. ^[42]Hindustan Times

  

• Jungkook has a lot of interest in photography and videography. he has shot, directed, and edited a series of videos titled G.C.F (Golden Closet Film) in various cities around the world.

• On 24 August 2018, he released another single track, ‘Euphoria,’ from the third part of BTS’ ‘Love Yourself’ album series, ‘Love Yourself: Answer.’ It is one of the most famous songs sung by Jungkook, which ranked at number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. ^[43]Billboard

• In 2018, during BTS’ Love Yourself World Tour, Jungkook injured his heel due to which he could not participate in the group’s choreography; however, he continued singing by sitting on the stage. ^[44]Billboard

  

• Apart from singing, he is famous for his artistic side. In 2018, he designed the album cover of  the song ‘Seesaw x I NEED U Remix.’

  

• On Hi China‘s 2018 list of the most beloved celebrities in China, he stayed on the first place for 10 consecutive weeks. ^[45]Naver

• His tweets were retweeted the most on Twitter (now X) in South Korea in 2018. ^[46]K-pop Herald

• In 2019, his ‘Bad Guy’ tweet became the most retweeted tweet in the world. ^[47]Billboard

• At a very young age, he developed a habit of biting his nails and pulling his facial hair.

  

• On 6 November 2018, he gave a special duet performance with the American singer Charlie Puth at the MBC Plus X Genie Music Awards. Both the artists collaborated and performed Charlie Puth’s famous song ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore.’

• In 2019, he made a golden clock art piece for the ’24/7 = Serendipity’ exhibition.

  

• In 2019, he was South Korea’s third most-loved celebrity of the year. ^[48]Gallup

• In 2019, he was Google’s most-searched male K-pop idol for the first half of the year. ^[49]Han Kyung

• In February 2020, BTS released their seventh studio album ‘Map of the Soul: 7.’ This album contained his third solo track titled ‘My Time,’ which charted for 85 weeks on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart.

• By April 2020, BTS achieved the milestone of becoming the best-selling Korean act of all time within seven years by selling more than 20 million physical albums in South Korea. ^[50]Daum

• On 4 June 2020, he produced and released a song titled ‘Still With You’ for free on SoundCloud to celebrate BTS’ annual debut anniversary.

• In a 2021 interview, he shared that after he attended one of Ariana Grande’s concerts, he aspired to have a stage presence like her. ^[51]Rolling Stone

• In 2021, he did his first solo live stream on the South Korean streaming app, Vlive, and set the record of having more than 22 million viewers in 1 hour and 18 minutes by an individual. ^[52]Lifestyle Asia

• In June 2021, photos of Jungkook were used by a member of South Korea’s political party, the Justice Party, to make tattoos legal in South Korea. Netizens criticised the lawmaker for using Jungkook’s fame for their personal purpose. ^[53]Seoul

• In 2021, the Mayor of Tagbilaran in the Philippines, John Geesnell Yap, used Jungkook’s photos to promote COVID-19 vaccination among citizens. ^[54]Star News

• In February 2022, he lent his voice to the song ‘Stay Alive,’ produced by his bandmate Suga, which is the soundtrack for BTS’ webtoon ‘7 Fates: Chakho.’ The song ranked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s the first Korean soundtrack which debuted on the UK Singles Chart, at 89th position. ^[55]Naver

  

• In March 2022, he received the President’s Award, the school’s highest honour.

• In June 2022, he featured in the English song ‘Left and Right’ by Charlie Puth and also appeared in the music video of the song.

  

• He has an interest in boxing. In June 2022, he joined Choo Sung-hoon, a Japanese mixed martial artist’s boxing session. In an interview, Choo Sung-hoon said that Jungkook had the capability to become a professional boxer if he focused more on training. ^[56]Lifestyle Asia

  

• In an interview, he talked about the struggles and challenges that BTS faced in the initial days of their career and said,
  

  Our first practice room was in the basement, and now there was a restaurant on the ground floor, and the aunt there took very good care of us. She sometimes grilled us meat, and at that time, we didn’t get much pocket money anymore, so we only had one or three cups of ramen a day. It was a time that passed for a while, but I’m really thankful.” ^[57]Hindustan Times

• His bandmates have revealed that during the initial days of their career when Jungkook was young, he was a bit shy and introverted. In an interview, he talked about it and said,
  

  I was so scared when I first came up to Seoul. I missed my parents and I cried. I was the youngest. I had to wait for the others to fall asleep before I could shower. I used the top bunk and I had to be really careful not to make noise. I think that all the difficulties and scoldings that I went through made me who I am today. That’s why I’m grateful to the other members. ” ^[58]Hindustan Times

• In an interview, Big Hit Entertainment’s founder Bang Si-hyuk, revealed that during Jungkook’s trainee days, his shyness had a negative effect on his evaluations. Bang Si-hyuk said,
  

  Jungkook actually couldn’t sing at all when I asked him to. He was so shy and kept on twisting his body for 15 minutes. Our agency even judged that it was impossible for him to debut because he didn’t have talent but now he has become a playful member.” ^[59]Allkpop

• His ideal type of woman is the South Korean soloist singer IU. ^[60]Koreaboo

• On many occasions, Junkook has talked about his musical inspirations including Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake, and Usher. ^[61]Billboard

• He considers G-Dragon, a rapper from the South Korean boy band Big Bang, as his role model.

• He has a knack for reading comic books and playing video games. His favourite Avenger/superhero is Iron Man.
  

• In an interview, while talking about the three things he always carries with him are his phone, his passport, and some Calvin Klein items. ^[62]Vogue

• He likes to wear oversized clothes, shoes that are a bit big, and knitted hats. ^[63]Vogue

  

• Jungook’s bandmates and fans also refer to him as ‘Golden Maknae’ (golden youngest). He once revealed when his mother was pregnant with him, his mother dreamt of rainfall in a village, and the places which were touched by the raindrops turned into gold. ^[64]Vogue ^[65]Soompi ^[66]Koimoi

• His fans, Armys, know very well that Jungkook is not afraid of anything; however, during his appearance at a chat show, he revealed that he is scared of microwaves as he thought that they might explode at any time. ^[67]Koimoi

• Jungkook has a habit of covering his nostrils and yawning instead of his mouth; however, he sleeps with his mouth open. ^[68]Koimoi

  

• In an interview, while talking about what makes him cringe and embarrassed, he said,
  

  Ah.. it’s been more than 10 years now, my memories are a bit sketchy but I would say we were not that cool. Of course, at the time the other members looked cool to me, but honestly, I still can’t watch the footage from when we first debuted, or even from a few years later, it makes me feel cringe and embarrassed.” ^[69]Hindustan Times

• In January 2023, he became the first Korean artist to sing an official theme, ‘Dreamers,’ for the FIFA World Cup. He also gave a live performance at the opening ceremony of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

  

• He has earned the name the ‘Sold Out King’ as whatever items he is seen using tend to sell out fast. Many items including shoes, fabric softener, wine, and novels, used by him often sold out quickly. ^[70]Econotimes ^[71]My Daily

• In March 2023, he was revealed as a global ambassador for Calvin Klein. After he became the global brand ambassador of the brand, the stocks of the company, PVH Corp., which owns Calvin Klein, were increased by twenty percent. ^[72]Lifestyle Asia

• After the launch of his Calvin Klein campaign, the hashtag ‘Daddy’ trended on X (previously Twitter) for hours. ^[73]Lifestyle Asia

• In 2023, he was ranked 16th on the list of ‘The 100 Most Handsome Faces of 2023.’ ^[74]YouTube – TC Candler

• In April 2023, he made a donation of 1 billion won (USD 874,164.08) to the Children’s Hospital of Seoul National University. ^[75]Naver News ^[76]Korea Biomedical Review

• In 2023, he ranked 191th on Rolling Stones’ list of ‘200 Greatest Singers of All Time.’ ^[77]Rolling Stone

• On 23 September 2023, he performed for the first time at the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York City, where he performed as a headliner.

• He is an animal lover and has a rescued pet dog named Bam, a Dobermann.

• In September 2023, he released his second English solo track ‘3D’ in collaboration with the American rapper Jack Harlow. The song ranked at the fifth number on both the Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. ^[78]Official Charts

  

• Jungkook is also known for breaking records and setting new ones. He is the first Korean solo artist to top the three charts, Hot 100, the Global 200, and the Global Excl. US charts, at the same time. ^[79]Billboard ^[80]Billboard His debut single track, ‘Seven,’ became the fastest song to cross 1 billion streams in the history of Spotify. ^[81]Guinness World Records

• Jungkook is the first Korean solo artist to have two top-five singles in the UK Singles Chart. ^[82]Official Charts

• In September 2023, Jungkook was mentioned as one of the top 25 musicians on the list of ‘Platinum Players of Music’ by The Hollywood Reporter. ^[83]The Hollywood Reporter

• He is a fitness enthusiast and is often spotted working out at a gym. In an interview, while talking about the fitness routine he followed whenever he was on tour, he said he did fewer weightlifting exercises and more cardio. His target was to burn 300 calories in 30 minutes. ^[84]Vogue
  

• In October 2023, ‘the Kid Laroi,’ an Australian singer and rapper, and Central Cee, a British rapper, collaborated with Jungkook and released the English song ‘Too Much,’ which ranked at number 10 in the UK. ^[85]Official Charts

• He is the first Korean solo artist to have three songs ranked on the top-10 singles chart in the history of the UK chart. ^[86]Official Charts

• In December 2023, BTS’ agency, Big Hit Music, announced that Jungkook had enlisted in the South Korean military and started carrying out his mandatory military service on 12 December 2023. ^[87]My Daily

  

• In January 2024, he was appointed as a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association. ^[88]Star News

• In September 2023, he was spotted smoking outside a restaurant in Los Angeles. The photos and video of him smoking went viral on social media after which his fans had mixed reactions about their K-pop idol caught smoking. ^[89]Hindustan Times

  

• He is often spotted consuming alcohol in public.