Cover Jungkook performing his debut album ‘Golden’ in Times Square, New York (Photo: Getty Images)
Jungkook performing his debut album ‘Golden’ in Times Square, New York (Photo: Getty Images)
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Ahead of Jungkook’s birthday, Tatler revisits the times when BTS’s youngest member went viral
Jungkook of K-pop group BTS might be serving in the army at the moment, but he never stops serving his ARMY—as BTS’s fandom calls themselves.
From his numerous Wewerse lives to answering followers’ questions on his now-deleted Instagram account and participating in TikTok challenges: the idol’s “fanservice” has always been regarded as one of the best in the industry. And this might explain why everything he does goes so popular online.
Ahead of his 27th birthday, Tatler takes a look at the times the K-pop star has broken the internet, from his viral Calvin Klein campaign to his tattoo reveal.
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1. Jungkook’s travel show and upcoming documentary
Above Jungkook in an episode of ‘Are You Sure?!,’ his travel series with Jimin (Photo: Instagram/@jungkook)
Above Jungkook’s ‘I Am Still’ documentary on his eight-month journey behind the production of his album ‘Golden’ (2023) will be released in movie theatres on September 18 (Photo: Official poster)
Jungkook in an episode of ‘Are You Sure?!,’ his travel series with Jimin (Photo: Instagram/@jungkook)
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The first few episodes of Are You Sure?!—Jimin and Jungkook’s travel series—were released on Disney + on August 8. And since then, the candid moments from the show have gone viral on social media. From Jungkook’s boat flipping over to the two idols fighting around the swimming pool in swimsuits, fans revelled in these moments and profusely reshared them online.
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Meanwhile, another release from Jungkook is set to break the internet. I Am Still, a documentary about his eight-month journey behind the production of his album Golden (2023), will be released in movie theatres on September 18. The announcement and trailer videos have respectively gathered 1.2 million and 800,000 views on YouTube to this day. With more exclusive, unseen interviews and behind-the-scenes footage to be released, its popularity is sure to skyrocket soon.
2. The release of Jungkook’s debut solo album, ‘Golden’
Above Jungkook’s ‘Golden’ album, including his viral ‘Seven’ song featuring Latto (Photo: Instagram / @bts.bighitofficial)
Jungkook’s ‘Golden’ album, including his viral ‘Seven’ song featuring Latto (Photo: Instagram / @bts.bighitofficial)
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Releasing a debut solo album as viral as Jungkook’s Golden would be a challenge for any musician. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry’s Global Music Report of 2023, Golden became the seventh bestselling album in the world that year, despite its late release—in November. It sold 2.7 million units in less than two months and many factors accounted for its meteoric popularity.
For starters, Golden had 11 songs with English lyrics. The songs also spanned multiple genres such as pop and r’n’b, and featured renowned artists such as Jack Harlow, Major Lazer, Latto and DJ Snake. The music videos were shot in Budapest, New York and Los Angeles, with a guest appearance by South Korean actress Han So-hee in Seven and even a remix of Standing Next To You by Usher.
3. Jungkook’s Instagram account for his dog, Bam
Above Jungkook and his dog Bam (Photo: Instagram / @bowwow_bamig)
Jungkook and his dog Bam (Photo: Instagram / @bowwow_bamig)
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Jungkook seems to have a love-hate relationship with Instagram. After repeatedly deleting and reopening his account, he seems to have settled on a new approach: creating an account for his dog, Bam. The Instagram account he made for his dog in April 2024, with the username @bowwow_bam, gained more than three million followers within 24 hours.
Read more: 10 Korean stars and their adorable pet cats and dogs who will absolutely melt your heart
4. Jungkook’ debut as Calvin Klein’s ambassador
Above Jungkook in his viral Calvin Klein campaign (Photo: Instagram / @ jungkook_bighitentertainment)
Above Jungkook in his viral Calvin Klein campaign (Photo: Instagram / @ jungkook_bighitentertainment)
Jungkook in his viral Calvin Klein campaign (Photo: Instagram / @ jungkook_bighitentertainment)
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In March 2023, Jungkook debuted as Calvin Klein’s brand ambassador—and the internet went crazy. The news was revealed through a series of photos that were dropped on Instagram, and a campaign teaser of the singer bare-chested while wearing ’90s style straight jeans, and an oversized denim jacket from the American fashion brand’s 2023 spring/summer collection.
The Calvin Klein x Jungkook official teaser video on YouTube boasted more than 20 million views and nearly three-quarters of a million likes within 24 hours of being posted on Calvin Klein’s YouTube channel.
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5. Jungkook’ performance at FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at Qatar
Above Jungkook’ performance at FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at Qatar
Jungkook’ performance at FIFA World Cup opening ceremony at Qatar
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BTS’s youngest member made history on November 20, 2022 in Qatar by becoming the first Korean artist to perform at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony.
He sang Dreamers—produced by the famous Moroccan singer, songwriter and producer RedOne—along with Qatari artist Fahad Al Kubaisi. Of course, BTS fans across the globe responded with unadulterated joy when video of this performance dropped on FIFA’s official YouTube channel—today, it stands among the top 10 most-watched videos on the channel, with 51 million views.
You might also like: World Cup Qatar 2022: 5 Highlights from the Opening Ceremony
6. Jungkook’ tattoo reveal
He showed his tatoo OMGGGGGG I LOVE IT @BTS_twt #JUNGKOOK https://t.co/Hiy3FNH1Tr
— Alex Armanto Rinn (@dungle264) June 13, 2021
In September 2019, Jungkook was spotted by BTS fans—who call themselves ARMY—with several small tattoos on his hands, including one that spelt “ARMY” on his knuckles.
While the singer hid his tattoos for a few months by wearing long sleeves and bandages, he finally revealed his body art during a live concert dedicated to the boy band’s eighth anniversary in June 2021. As tattoos are still taboo and illegal if not performed by a doctor in South Korea, many of his fans took over the internet to show their support.
According to news portal Vice Asia, Google trends showed that the day following the singer’s tattoo reveal, the term “Jungkook Tattoo” was searched on Google more than 10,000 times.
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7. Jungkook’ generous donation
Above Jungkook on the set of ‘Seven’ (Photo: Instagram / @jungkook_bighitentertainment)
Jungkook on the set of ‘Seven’ (Photo: Instagram / @jungkook_bighitentertainment)
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Earlier this year, on April 18, the Seoul National University Children’s Hospital revealed on the front page of its monthly newspaper that the singer had donated 1 billion won (around HK$6 million) to support treatment costs for children of low-income families. The singer said in a press statement: “I hope my donation can be a bit of a help to children in danger, and I hope children can smile happy”.
While the donation itself and the announcement in the hospital’s newspaper were done discreetly, as soon as the news spread, thousands of fans took to Twitter to praise their idol.
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8. Jungkook’ viral tweets and live-streams
Jungkook is the only person to have 6 Tweets in the list of the Top 30 Most Retweeted Tweets of All Time, all with over 1M Retweets. @BTS_twt #JUNGKOOK #정국 #JK pic.twitter.com/4169ispoVN
— Golden JK Universe (@GoldenJKUnivers) April 18, 2021
In March 2021, the singer broke the record for the most number of simultaneous viewers on the South Korean video streaming platform V Live.
Around 22 million people simultaneously watched the live-stream of his interaction with fans. That same year, he also became the first person on Twitter to have the most number of tweets with over 1 million retweets.
Salomé Grouard was Digital Editor and Front & Female Content Lead at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on managing Tatler Hong Kong’s digital platform and content, she also covers gender equality, the music scene and sports through interviews with industry leaders, experts and trendsetters.
Interview highlights include renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, Korean actor Park Seo Jun, singer Jorja Smith, Chinese TV host Yue-Sai Kan, YouTuber Kimono Mom, Japanese rapper Awich, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Mikey Musumeci.
She has also produced stories on revolutionising sexual wellness in Asia, activism within the surfing community, Asian trans musicians reclaiming their narratives through music and looked at the toxicity of gym culture through the lens of the plus-size community. She also covers music festivals, such as Hong Kong’s Clockenflap and Bali’s Suara.
