Portrait · Dispatch / CC BY 3.0

Jung Kook

Singer, songwriter, dancer and filmmaker

Born 1997

Jung Kook is a South Korean singer, songwriter, dancer and visual creator who debuted at fifteen as the youngest member and principal vocalist of BTS. Raised in Busan, he auditioned for Superstar K before choosing Big Hit Entertainment, trained in dance in Los Angeles and joined BTS for 2 Cool 4 Skool in 2013. His clear, flexible tenor became central to the group's Korean and global catalogue, while solo tracks including Begin, Euphoria and My Time traced his growth inside the group. He expanded into directing through Golden Closet Film and the Life Goes On music video, performed Dreamers at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony and launched a solo pop chapter with Seven, 3D and the eleven-track album Golden in 2023. After completing mandatory military service in June 2025, he returned to BTS for the 2026 album ARIRANG and its world tour, contributing the concept for the track Hooligan. Current long-form interviews document both his renewed appetite for performance after military kitchen duty and his growing role in the group's songwriting process.

Verified identityCore facts checked against named sources.

Keep exploring

Connected people

ConnectionBTSMember, vocalist and performer since the group's 2013 debut.

ConnectionRMBTS leader and long-term group collaborator.

ConnectionJiminBTS bandmate and fellow military-service cohort discharged in June 2025.

Jung Kook during BTS's fifth-anniversary portrait session in Los Angeles in May 2018 — Profile image · Dispatch / CC BY 3.0

NewNews7 Aug 2026

Fronts Chanel's 1957 fragrance campaign

A campaign film paired Jung Kook with Chanel perfumer Olivier Polge to discuss the fragrance's composition, milestones in his career and the memories he associates with New York.

Verified

Verified news · projects · public record

Latest Index

2026

NewsChecked against a primary source or trusted newsroom.

ScopeOnly attributable updates about Jung Kook's work and public record.

News
Joins BTS in withholding ARIRANG from the 2027 Grammys
All seven members shared the same statement saying the comeback album and its songs would not be submitted for Grammy consideration.
30 Jul 2026Associated Press current report
Verified
Project
Explains his creative role on ARIRANG
In Rolling Stone UK's group interview, Jung Kook discussed the album's return to Korean lyrics and was credited with devising the concept for Hooligan.
20 Apr 2026Direct Rolling Stone UK group interview
Verified
News
Reflects on service, solo stardom and making music again
In a long-form cover interview, Jung Kook described military kitchen duty, the renewed desire to perform and the transition back into BTS work.
7 Jan 2026Direct Rolling Stone UK interview
VerifiedRead more
Project
Returns with BTS on the fourteen-track album ARIRANG
BIGHIT announced the group's first full album after all seven members completed military service; later reporting identified the title as ARIRANG.
5 Jan 2026Official BIGHIT Music notice, with title confirmed in current reporting
Verified
News
Completes mandatory military service
Jung Kook and Jimin were discharged in June 2025, clearing the way for BTS's full-group return.
11 Jun 2025Associated Press report
Verified
Project
Documents the Golden solo era in I Am Still
The feature documentary follows the eight-month solo journey around Seven and Golden, including studio and performance footage.
18 Sept 2024Official cinema announcement
Verified
Project
Releases the eleven-track solo album Golden
The album collected Seven and 3D with new collaborations and a live-stage campaign, defining his first full solo chapter.
3 Nov 2023Official BIGHIT Music notice
Verified

Selected Credits

View all

Year	Title	Role
2023	Golden Live on StageConcert	Headliner
2023	GoldenStudio album	Lead solo artist
2024	Jung Kook: I Am StillDocumentary feature	Documentary subject and performer
2026	BTS World Tour 2026–27World tour	BTS member and performer
2026	ARIRANGStudio album	BTS member, vocalist and Hooligan concept contributor

Timeline

1997—2026

1997Born Jeon Jung-kook in Busan, South Korea.
2011Auditions for Superstar K and later chooses Big Hit Entertainment after receiving agency offers.
2012Studies dance in Los Angeles before returning to the trainee programme.
2013Debuts with BTS on 2 Cool 4 Skool at age fifteen.
2016Releases Begin, his first solo song within a BTS album, on Wings.
2018Releases Euphoria and receives South Korea's Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit with BTS.
2020Releases My Time and directs BTS's Life Goes On music video.
2022Performs Dreamers at the FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Qatar.
2023Seven reaches No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Golden becomes his first solo studio album.
2024I Am Still brings his Golden-era solo work to cinemas before military enlistment continues.
2025Completes military service and resumes group preparation with BTS.
2026Returns with BTS on ARIRANG, contributes the concept for Hooligan and tours worldwide with the group.

Fronts Chanel's 1957 fragrance campaign

Latest Index

Joins BTS in withholding ARIRANG from the 2027 Grammys

Explains his creative role on ARIRANG

Reflects on service, solo stardom and making music again

Returns with BTS on the fourteen-track album ARIRANG

Completes mandatory military service

Documents the Golden solo era in I Am Still

Releases the eleven-track solo album Golden