Jungkook
Jeon
Jung-kook (Korean: 전정국; born September 1, 1997), known mononymously as Jungkook
(stylized as Jung Kook), is a South Korean singer. He is the youngest member
and vocalist of the South Korean boy band BTS.
Jungkook
has released three solo tracks as part of BTS discography: "Begin" in
2016, "Euphoria" in 2018, and "My Time" in 2020, all of
which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. He also sang the
soundtrack for the BTS-based webtoon 7Fates: Chakho, titled "Stay
Alive". In 2022, he was featured on the single "Left and Right"
by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, which peaked at number 22 on the
U.S. Billboard Hot 100. Later that year, he became the first South Korean
singer to release a song for the FIFA World Cup soundtrack, with "Dreamers",
which he subsequently performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony.
Jungkook's tracks as a soloist have also seen success on Spotify charts, with
"Dreamers", "Stay Alive", and "Left and Right"
all breaking records as the highest-debuting songs by a Korean soloist on the
Spotify Global chart.
Age/Family/Education
Jeon
Jung-kook (Korean: 전정국) was born on September 1, 1997, in Busan, South Korea. His family consists of his parents and an
elder brother. He attended Baekyang
Elementary and Middle School in Busan. When he became a trainee, he transferred
to Singu Middle School in Seoul. Jungkook initially had dreams of becoming a
badminton player when he was younger, but after seeing G-Dragon perform
"Heartbreaker" on television, it influenced him to want to become a
singer.
In
2011, Jungkook auditioned for the South Korean talent show Superstar K during
its auditions in Daegu. Though he was
not selected, he received casting offers from seven entertainment companies. He
eventually chose to become a trainee under Big Hit Entertainment after seeing
RM, now his fellow band member and leader in BTS, perform. To work on his dance skills in preparation for
debut, he went to Los Angeles during the summer of 2012 to receive dance training
from Movement Lifestyle. In June 2012, he appeared in Jo Kwon's "I'm Da
One" music video and also worked as
a backup dancer for Glam before his debut.
He
graduated from School of Performing Arts Seoul, an arts high school, in 2017.
In November 2016, he decided to forgo taking the CSATs, Korea's nationwide
university entrance exam. In March 2022,
he received his degree from Global Cyber University's Department of
Broadcasting and Entertainment. He was awarded the President's Award, the
school's highest honor.
Career
On
June 12, 2013, Jungkook made his debut as a member of BTS with the release of
the single 2 Cool 4 Skool.[15] Under BTS, he has sung three solo songs. The
first, a pop track titled "Begin", from the 2016 album Wings, tells
his story of moving to Seoul at a young age to become an idol and expresses his
gratitude towards his bandmates for taking care of him during that time.[16]
The second, a future bass song titled "Euphoria", was released with
an accompanying nine-minute short film on April 5, 2018, as the introduction to
the third part of BTS' "Love Yourself" series. Produced by DJ Swivel, the song charted at
number five on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100. Its full studio version
was included on BTS' Love Yourself: Answer compilation album, released on
August 24. The third solo, "My Time", off the band's 2020 studio
album Map of the Soul: 7, is an R&B song about forgoing teenage experiences
because of his career, and charted at
number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100. "Euphoria" and "My
Time" are the first and second longest-charting solo tracks among K-pop
singers on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart, having spent a record
90 and 85 weeks respectively on the ranking.
Aside
from singing, Jungkook has also helped produce two songs for BTS: "Love is
Not Over", from the band's 2015 extended play (EP) The Most Beautiful
Moment in Life, Pt. 1, and "Magic Shop", from the band's 2018 album
Love Yourself: Tear—he is credited as the main producer for both tracks.
In
October 2018, Jungkook was ordained alongside his bandmates with the
fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea,
Moon Jae-in. He was appointed Special
Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture, again alongside his
bandmates, by Moon in July 2021, in order to help "lead the global agenda
for future generations, such as sustainable growth" and "expand South
Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international
community.
In
September 2015, Jungkook participated in the "One Dream, One Korea"
campaign, taking part in a song collaboration alongside various Korean artists
in memory of the Korean War. The song was released on September 24 and
presented at the One K Concert in Seoul on October 15. The following year,
Jungkook was cast in the pilot episode of Flower Crew. He also appeared on
Celebrity Bromance, and competed on King of Mask Singer under the name
"Fencing Man", appearing in episode 72. On November 6, 2018, Jungkook
collaborated with American singer Charlie Puth for a special duet performance
of the latter's "We Don't Talk Anymore" single at the MBC Plus X
Genie Music Awards. He released the self-produced song "Still With
You" for free on SoundCloud on June 4, 2020, as part of BTS' annual debut
anniversary celebrations.
In
February 2022, Jungkook sang the soundtrack for 7Fates: Chakho, a new BTS-based
webtoon. Titled "Stay Alive", and produced by bandmate Suga, the song
earned Jungkook his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with its debut at
number 95; his first solo top-ten entry on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S chart
at number eight; and became the first
Korean soundtrack in history to debut on the Official Singles Chart in the UK,
at number 89. Jungkook collaborated
again with Puth, featuring on the single "Left and Right", which was
released on June 24. On November 20, Jungkook released the single
"Dreamers" ahead of his performance at the opening ceremony for the
2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later that same day—the single will be included on
the tournament's official soundtrack album. He headlined the event at Al Bayt
Stadium and performed the song together with Qatari singer Fahad Al Kubaisi, becoming the first Korean artist to sing an
official theme for the World Cup and perform at an opening ceremony for the
event.
Impact and influence
In a 2019 survey conducted by Gallup Korea, Jungkook ranked as the third most-loved celebrity of the year in South Korea. He debuted on the list in 2016 at 20th, then ranked 17th in 2017, and then 8th in 2018. In 2018, Jungkook placed first for 10 weeks in a row for magazine Hi China, under the most beloved celebrities list in China. Jungkook is also extremely popular on social media amongst fans. In December 2018, a video of him singing in the studio became the most retweeted tweet in South Korea that year. Various artists have cited him as an influence and role model, such as Kim Dong-han and Hyeongseop X Euiwoong. Jungkook has cited Justin Bieber, Justin Timberlake and Usher among his musical inspirations.
Jungkook's
popularity has earned him the nickname "Sold Out King" as items that
he is seen using often sell out quickly. These include shoes, Downy fabric
softener, wine, novels—namely I Decided to Live as Me by Kim Soo-hyun, which
became a best-seller in both Korea and Japan—and Hanbok. Korean media reported
that Jungkook had created a "Modern Hanbok" fashion trend in the
Korean entertainment industry when celebrities such as Jun Hyun-moo, Jang
Do-yeon, Gong Hyo-jin, MC Oh Seung-hwan and The Return of Superman's Park
Joo-ho began wearing similar clothing after he was photographed wearing it.
Jungkook
was 2019's most-searched male K-pop idol on Google according to their mid-year
chart. He topped the chart again in 2020, and was the most searched K-pop idol
on YouTube in 2019 and 2020. On Tumblr, he ranked 1st in 'Top K-Pop Stars' for
3 consecutive years. On Twitter, he had the most retweeted tweet of 2019, and the 2nd most retweeted tweet of 2020. In
March 2021, Jungkook set a new all-time record for the most real-time viewers
in V Live history when his solo live broadcast surpassed 22 million
simultaneous viewers—he first broke the record in October 2018, when his
broadcast surpassed 3.7 million viewers worldwide.
In
June 2021, a lawmaker of the Justice Party used photos of him to promote the
legalization of tattoos in South Korea, which works under regulations. The posts
were widely condemned by netizens, who accused the lawmaker of taking advantage
of Jungkook's fame for political purposes. In the same year images of Jungkook
were posted by the mayor of Tagbilaran in the Philippines, John Geesnell Yap,
to convince citizens to receive the COVID shot.
Personal life
In
2017, Jungkook collapsed during a concert in Chile. It was later revealed that
he had been feeling unwell that day and there were no underlying issues. He
suffered a heel injury on the Love Yourself World Tour in 2018, preventing him
from participating in choreography; as a result, he sang while seated during
part of the European leg of the tour.
In
November 2019, Jungkook was involved in a car accident with a taxi. Neither
party had any major injuries and an amicable settlement was agreed upon.
Since
2018, Jungkook has lived in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea with his bandmates.
In July 2019, he purchased an apartment
in Yongsan District, Seoul worth ₩4 billion, which he gifted to his older
brother in December 2020. As of July 2021, Jungkook's net worth was estimated
to be US$20 million.
Discography
For
Jungkook's works with BTS, see BTS singles discography and BTS albums
discography.
Charted songs
|
Title |
Year |
Peak chart positions |
Sales |
Certifications |
Album |
|||||||||
|
KOR |
CAN |
HUN |
JPN |
NZ |
SCO |
UK |
US |
US World |
WW |
|||||
|
As lead artist |
||||||||||||||
|
"Begin" |
2016 |
27 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
1 |
— |
·
KOR: 90,526 |
— |
Wings |
|
"Euphoria" |
2018 |
11 |
86 |
9 |
76 |
9 |
49 |
— |
—[B] |
1 |
— |
·
US: 500,000 |
·
RIAJ:
Gold |
Love Yourself: Answer |
|
"My Time" |
2020 |
21 |
— |
20 |
— |
12 |
58 |
— |
84 |
1 |
— |
·
US: 24,000 |
— |
Map of the Soul: 7 |
|
"Stay Alive" |
2022 |
68 |
74 |
5 |
44 |
6 |
* |
89 |
95 |
1 |
13 |
·
JPN: 15,852 (Dig.) ·
WW: 30,400 |
Non-album single |
|
|
"Dreamers" |
7 |
90 |
1 |
6 |
3 |
— |
— |
1 |
9 |
·
JPN: 19,525 (Dig.) ·
WW: 48,000 |
FIFA World Cup
2022 Official Soundtrack |
|||
|
As featured artist |
||||||||||||||
|
"Left and Right" |
2022 |
15 |
17 |
3 |
13 |
2 |
* |
41 |
22 |
— |
5 |
·
JPN: 12,820 (Dig.) ·
US: 500,000 ·
CAN: 80,000 ·
WW: 45,000 |
·
MC: Platinum |
Charlie |
|
Other
collaborations |
||||||||||||||
|
"Perfect Christmas" |
2013 |
45 |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
— |
·
KOR: 64,78 ·
9 |
— |
Non-album single |
|
"—"
denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that region |
||||||||||||||
Writing and production
credits
All song
credits are adapted from the Korea Music Copyright
Association's database, unless otherwise noted.
|
Year |
Artist |
Album |
Song |
|
2013 |
BTS |
2 Cool 4 Skool |
"We Are
Bulletproof Pt. 2" |
|
"No More
Dream" |
|||
|
"Outro:
Circle Room Cypher" |
|||
|
2015 |
The Most
Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 |
"Outro: Love
Is Not Over" |
|
|
The Most
Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 2 |
"Run" |
||
|
2016 |
The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever |
"Dead
Leaves" |
|
|
"Run" (Alternative Mix) |
|||
|
"Love Is Not
Over" |
|||
|
"Run" (Ballad Mix) |
|||
|
Youth |
"Introduction:
Youth" |
||
|
2018 |
Love Yourself: Tear |
"Magic
Shop" |
|
|
2020 |
Map of the Soul: 7 |
"My
Time" |
|
|
Jungkook |
Non-album release |
"Still With
You" |
|
|
BTS |
Map of the
Soul: 7 – The Journey |
"Your Eyes
Tell" |
|
|
"Outro: The
Journey" |
|||
|
Non-album release |
"In the
Soop" |
||
|
Be |
"Telepathy" |
||
|
"Stay" |
|||
|
2021 |
BTS, the Best |
"Film Out" |
|
|
2022 |
Proof |
"Run
BTS" |
|
|
"Still With
You" (a capella) |
|||
|
Jungkook |
Non-album release |
"My You" |
|
|
FIFA World Cup
2022 Official Soundtrack |
"Dreamers" |
Filmography
Directing credits
|
Year |
Title |
Director(s) |
|
2017 |
"G.C.F in
Tokyo (정국&지민)" |
JK |
|
2018 |
"G.C.F in
Osaka" |
|
|
"G.C.F in
USA" |
||
|
"G.C.F in
Saipan" |
||
|
"G.C.F in
Newark VHS ver." |
||
|
2019 |
"G.C.F in
Helsinki" |
|
|
2020 |
"Life Goes On" |
Jeon Jungkook,
Choi Yongseok & Yoon Jihye (Lumpens) |
|
"Life Goes
On: on my pillow" |
||
|
"Life Goes
On: in the forest" |
||
|
"Life Goes
On: like an arrow" |
Jeon Jungkook, Nu
Kim, Choi Yongseok & Yoon Jihye (Lumpens) |
Music videos
|
Year |
Title |
Length |
Director(s) |
Note |
|
2013 |
"Perfect
Christmas" |
3:45 |
Unknown |
with RM, Jo Kwon, Lim Jeong-hee,
& Jo Hee (8Eight) |
Television
|
Year |
Program |
Role |
Note(s) |
|
2016 |
Music Bank |
Special Host |
with Sana |
|
Show! Music Core |
with Jimin |
||
|
with J-Hope |
|||
|
Flower Crew |
Cast Member |
Pilot Episode |
|
|
Celebrity
Bromance |
Season 8 (Ep.
35–39) |
||
|
2017 |
Show Champion |
Special Host |
— |
Trailers and short films
|
Year |
Title |
Length |
Director(s) |
|
2016 |
"Begin
#1" |
2:35 |
Yong-seok Choi
(Lumpens) |
|
2018 |
"Euphoria" |
8:52 |
Awards
and nominations
|
Award ceremony |
Year |
Category |
Nominee(s)/work(s) |
Result |
|
MTV Millennial Awards |
2019 |
Global
Instagrammer |
Jungkook |
Won |
|
E! People's Choice Awards |
2022 |
The Collaboration Song of 2022 |
"Left and Right" |
Won |
|
The Music Video of 2022 |
Nominated |
|||
|
MTV Video Music Awards |
2022 |
Song of Summer |
Nominated |