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Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
BTS reunites for first live after enlistment: V aka Kim Taehyung reveals he still does military roll call, Jungkook debuts new tattoos
ARMYs finally got the OT7 moment they've been waiting for, and K-pop Twitter is in full meltdown mode. On Tuesday (July 1), BTS reunited for their first proper OT7 appearance in nearly three years with a surprise late-night Weverse live. RM (Kim Namjoon), Jin (Kim Seokjin), Suga (Min Yoongi), J-Hope (Jung Hoseok), Jimin (Park Jimin), V (Kim Taehyung), and Jungkook (Jeon Jungkook) all joined in, catching fans off guard in the best way. The group chatted casually about their current routines, teased future plans, and even dropped hints about upcoming projects. While they didn't go deep into military talk, V did reveal a habit he's held onto from his time in service. Meanwhile, eagle-eyed fans noticed what looks like a new tattoo on Jungkook, and the decoding has already begun. BTS 'surprise fans with first live post-military discharge While BTS did reunite in person for J-Hope's HOPE ON THE STREET encore concert on June 13 to celebrate the group's 12th debut anniversary, this marks the first full-frame OT7 return in one frame we've seen since December 2023, the month Jimin, Jungkook, RM, and V officially began their military service. It's also the first time all seven members have gone live together on Weverse since their 2022 FESTA announcement, when they announced a brief hiatus to focus on solo projects and fulfil their mandatory military duties. V reveals he still wakes up for military roll call It seems like V is still adjusting to life post-enlistment, and fans can't help but smile at the unexpected habit he's carried home. During the live, the Rainy Days singer shared that he still wakes up at exactly 6:30 a.m., the standard wake-up time during military service. Out of pure habit, he even does the military-style roll call by himself before heading to the kitchen for breakfast. Taehyung says he wakes up at 6:30 and does the military role call (out of habit) at his home before having breakfast 😭 V, who enlisted alongside RM, Jimin, and Jungkook in December 2023, served in the Special Task Force unit, one of the more demanding divisions in the Korean military. Though he's now discharged, military routine has certainly left a mark on his daily life. Jungkook debuts new tattoos While Jungkook still seems to be in his post-military shy era, let's be honest, he doesn't need to say much to steal the spotlight. Dressed in a full-sleeve sweatshirt, denim jeans, and glasses, he kept things low-key but effortlessly radiated that signature Jungkook swag. Even with the cosy fit, eagle-eyed fans caught glimpses of his hand and chest tattoos during the live. While it's still unclear what new ink he's added, many were quick to point out that it's refreshing to see a K-pop idol continue to push boundaries with body art. In an industry where tattoos are still considered bold, Jungkook's evolving style feels like a quiet rebellion, and fans are here for it. #JUNGKOOK NEW TATTOO!!?? OH GOD jungkook's chest tattoo peeking Meanwhile, Namjoon, ever the thoughtful leader, gave ARMYs something to look forward to by teasing a possible group comeback in spring 2026. Suga, who's recently been making headlines for his meaningful acts of philanthropy, also chimed in. He encouraged fans to keep supporting both their group and individual activities, hinting that there's a lot more to come, both together and apart. For all the latest K-drama, K-pop, and Hallyuwood updates, keep following our coverage here.
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BTS Members Reunite for 12-Year Anniversary as They Complete Required Military Service This Month
Six of the seven members of BTS have now completed their mandatory military service Jin was the first to complete his service, which began in 2022. J-hope finished in October 2024, and RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook were all released in June 2025 The last remaining enlisted member, Suga, will complete his service later this month The group reunited for FESTA, their annual celebration of the anniversary of their formation as a bandAll seven members BTS have reunited at FESTA in honor of the group's twelfth anniversary after six of them have completed their mandatory military service in South Korea. The superstar K-pop group is composed of RM, Jin, Suga, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook. Jin, 32, who is the oldest member, was the first to enlist in December 2022, with the others beginning their mandated 18-21–month service over the following year. The group surprised the BTS Army on June 13 by simply being in the same space, which marked the conclusion of j-hope's first solo tour, HOPE ON THE STAGE. Jin and Jung Kook, 27, also appeared as special guests onstage and performed on stage, performing "Don't Say You Love Me" and "Seven (feat. Latto)," respectively. Jin, Jung Kook and j-hope also performed "Jamais Vu," while RM, 30, Suga (who is allowed to be out in public but cannot work or promote music until the completion of his service this weekend), 32, Jimin, 29 and V, 29, watched in the crowd. BTS celebrated their reunion at FESTA, an annual celebration of the anniversary of the group's formation on June 13 and 14. Held in the KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, South Korea, the fan event features photo spots, DIY photo card stations, games, and a coloring wall inspired by BTS' album artwork. Over 60,000 fans attended the highly anticipated event, which also included a 'Voice Zone,' where fans could listen to recordings from each bandmate. A 'Locker Zone' was also set up for the seven singers, displaying items important to them. Fans were also able to personalize their own satchels at the event at the 'DIY Zone.' The concert served as a special reminder to both BTS and the ARMY how important they are to one another. Under South Korean law, able-bodied men must perform 18-21 months of military service, per the Associated Press. Six of the members completed the standard service. Jin enlisted in December 2022 and served at a military training center near the North Korean border, per the New York Times. J-hope enlisted in April 2023. Suga, 32, enlisted in Sept. 2023 and performed an alternative service as a social service agent, the outlet reported in 2023. The final four — RM, 30, Jimin, 29, V, 29, and Jungkook, 27 — all enlisted in December 2023. Since they announced in June 2022 that they would be taking time to complete their military duties and work on solo endeavors, all the members have released their own albums and several have embarked on international concert tours. Jin previously opened up about reunion plans in May on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "It was great to be alone. But when they come back, since they worked very hard, I'm going to honor them and give them great respect," he told Fallon. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Jin continued at the time, "They are my lifesavers, so I need to show them my appreciation and take care of them." Read the original article on People
Mint
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Meet the K-pop Group with highest rankings, dubbed as most successful, even dethrones BTS and BLACKPINK
The K-pop industry is more competitive than we can ever imagine. In this cut-throat race, one must be living under a rock to believe that BTS is still at number 1. The seven-member group, consisting of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V (Kim Taehyung), and Jungkook—has now been replaced by another K-pop boy group that topped this month's rankings. Who would have thought that even BTS's June reunion after military service couldn't bring them back to the top spot? According to the Korea Brand Reputation Index (as reported by Soompi), SEVENTEEN holds the highest ranking of June 2025. The group, consisting of Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon, and Dino, saw a sharp rise in popularity, reaching a brand value score of 7,027,417. This marks a significant 22.66% increase from their score in May. As per the website, the group's keyword analysis, top-ranking phrases included 'MINITEEN,' 'Bad Influence,' and 'HAPPY BURSTDAY.' The most associated terms with the group were 'record,' 'donate,' and 'reveal', apart from their recent album Happy Birthday. SEVENTEEN also scored an impressive 91.78 per cent positive response in their positivity-negativity analysis. On the other hand, BTS who topped the ranking list in May, saw a decline in ranking. The group slipped to the second spot with a 6,843,685 brand reputation score in June. All seven members are currently discharged from the military. While RM, Jin, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook completed their mandatory military service towards the nation, the last member left is Suga who has unofficially wrapped up his duty reportedly using holiday leave. However, his official discharge date is 21 June. BTS recently marked their much-awaited June reunion at FESTA, their annual celebration of the group anniversary on June 13 and 14. Besides BTS, others on the list include BIGBANG with a score of 4,318,118. SHINee took the fourth place for this month with a brand reputation index of 3,639,299 while Stray Kids claimed the fifth spot with their total score of 3,042,888 for June. The top 10 boy groups of this month are in order-- SEVENTEEN, BTS, BIGBANG, SHINee, Stray Kids, TWS, TXT, HIGHLIGHT, BOYNEXTDOOR and THE BOYZ. Not only did SEVENTEEN surpass other popular boy bands this month, but they also outshined BLACKPINK in the overall reputation rankings. While BLACKPINK, consisting of Jisoo, Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé, topped among girl groups, their brand value score of 6,278,657 still falls short when compared to SEVENTEEN's. SEVENTEEN has increased its global recognition for quite some time now. Their partnership with UNESCO helped them with their global recognition. They were also appointed as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassadors for Youth and the launch of the "Going Together" scheme. Earlier this month, SEVENTEEN debuted on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, which hailed them as the 'biggest and most successful boy band of 2024–25.' Even their album sales surpassed global stars like Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish, drawing comparisons to Taylor Swift and Drake. Their 2023–2024 Asia tour brought in an impressive $98.4 million from just 24 shows, making it the highest-grossing K-pop tour of the year, as per a report of Billboard.
Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
BTS loses brand value ranking to K-pop's rising superstars despite major military comeback in June: Check out the Top 20
BTS members RM, Jimin, V, Jin, Jungkook, Suga, and J-Hope had an emotional reunion at the group's 12th anniversary, celebrated through the FESTA event. The special performance by J-Hope at the Goyang Complex brought the septet together after 18 months apart due to military service. While June saw BTS take cultural dominance to another level—with their global popularity cutting across borders and fans waiting months for a musical comeback—it was rising K-pop stars SEVENTEEN who stole the spot. Recently crowned the most popular and successful K-pop group of 2024–2025 by an American website, the Pledis Entertainment's boy band topped the brand value list once ruled by BIGHIT stars. Also read: BTS loses global dominance to rising K-pop stars who just beat Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish in album sales According to the Korea Brand Reputation Index (via Soompi), while BTS topped the list in May with a brand reputation score of 7,811,108, marking a 2.54% increase from April, the legendary boy band slipped to 6,843,685 in June. Meanwhile, SEVENTEEN shot up to 7,027,417, with a dramatic 22.66% rise in their score since May. Alongside their recent album Happy Birthday, other top-ranking keywords included 'MINITEEN' and 'Bad Influence,' while related search terms were 'record,' 'sales,' 'donate,' and 'reveal.' Their positivity-to-negativity index analysis also changed, scoring 91.78% positive reactions. Earlier this month, SEVENTEEN graced the cover of The Hollywood Reporter, which named them the biggest and most successful boy band of 2024–25. Their album sales even outperformed big-league American pop acts like Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish, with the group being compared to Taylor Swift and Drake, who hold the top two global positions. Their Asia tour (2023–2024) alone raked in $98.4 million from just 24 shows, making it the highest-grossing K-pop tour of the year. The 13-member K-pop act includes Jeonghan, Joshua, Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo, Woozi, DK, Mingyu, The8, Seungkwan, Vernon and Dino. Also read: 'Taehyung spams the most, RM ghosts': BTS' Jin fails lie detector test twice, wants ARMY to stop calling him this name BIGBANG, despite being on an indefinite hiatus, never really left the scene when it comes to brand power, thanks to the popularity of members like G-Dragon, who consistently dominates solo rankings too. For June, the group's brand reputation index stood at 4,318,118, up from May's 3,381,072. Meanwhile, SHINee took fourth place with a reputation index of 3,639,299, marking a solid 35% jump from the previous month. Stray Kids also clawed back into the chart, posting a massive 119.51% surge with a score of 3,042,888 for June. While groups like ASTRO, ZEROBASEONE, Treasure, 2PM, have slipped to much lower rankings. According to the KBRI, the rankings are determined after an analysis of 'consumer participation, media coverage, interaction, and community indexes of various boy groups' in the given time period. Check out the top 20.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Fans abuzz with excitement over news of Suga of BTS getting discharged from the military
Suga of BTS is just days away from completing his mandatory military service, and fans around the world are counting down with mounting excitement. In an official statement, BigHit Music announced, 'SUGA is nearing the end of his service as a social service worker and will soon be discharged. There will be no official event on the day of his discharge.' The rapper, producer, and songwriter has been serving in the alternative social service category since September 2023. His scheduled discharge date, June 21, has stirred global fan enthusiasm, especially as BTS moves closer to becoming a fully reunited group. With Jin and J-hope already discharged in 2023, and RM, V, Jimin, and Jungkook completing their service earlier this month, Suga's return marks the final chapter of the group's military hiatus. The buzz around BTS's reunion has taken over social media, with hashtags trending across platforms and fan communities planning celebratory messages and digital events in anticipation. Although BigHit has confirmed there will be no public event to mark Suga's return, the emotional significance of his homecoming is not lost on fans. Many see this moment as the beginning of a new era for the band, whose collective return promises a resurgence of music, performances, and global appearances. The seven members were recently seen sharing the space at their reunion at FESTA, an annual celebration of the anniversary of the group's formation on June 13 and 14.
