Jin was born in 1992, the youngest son of a wealthy but warm-hearted family. His father was the CEO of a medium-sized company, so he often went on business trips, but before he came home, he would buy gifts, so Jin was able to experience all sorts of things from an early age. Thanks to his very warm father, who also taught his children a lot, he dreamed of “running a medium-sized company and having a warm family life, just like he had experienced it himself”. Then, in his second year of middle school, he was so handsome that he got cast by SM Entertainment on the street and even passed the first audition. But then it occurred to him, "This could be a scam," so he didn't go to the next casting, like that his short relationship with SM did end here. From the first year of high school on, he wanted to be a newspaper reporter because he wanted to be on the side of the underprivileged ones, however later in his 2nd year of high school he saw the drama (The Great Queen Seondeok), and the performance of the actor (Kim Nam-gil) impressed him so much that from then on he dreamed of becoming an actor. He later even expressed this wish to his parents, stating he wanted to be a celebrity, but his parents wanted Jin to live like a normal kid, so they opposed this, saying, "If you want to be a celebrity, do it after entering the university.” After hearing this, Jin started to attend an acting academy, and eventually passed the competition score of 201:1 and got admission to enter the theater and film department of the Konkuk University. But his fate changed again. On his way to his university, while going off the bus, a BIGHIT employee said, "I've never seen anyone as handsome as you in my life," and that's how the relationship with BIGHIT started. But even before his casting, his looks were so conspicuously good that foreign tourists asked to take photos with him on the street. Meanwhile, now BIGHIT has grown into a super-big agency, thanks to the production of BTS, but at this time, BITHIT was a very small agency that didn't even have their own singer. And the suggestion from such a small agency, which he had never heard of before, didn't sound good to him because he already had good acting skills, at least enough to be able to enter the Konkuk University's acting department without difficulties. Contrary to everyone's expectations, however, he accepts the offer and decides to become an actor trainee for BIGHIT. Originally, Jin wanted to become an actor because he liked to experience new things every time according to various roles. But, suddenly he thought, "to be an Idol is also very special that can be only done while being young, and as an actor, I can work afterward too”, and this changed his career completely, from an actor trainee to an Idol Trainee. Normally the Idol trainees debut at the age of 20, but he only started his trainee life at this age. However, here he faced his first big problems. After the casting, when he first sang at the audition, his singing skills were so poor that the judges were really shocked. Acting vocalization and singing vocalization are completely different things, and Jin had only practiced acting until then, so he could only do low notes, but he couldn't make high notes, so that's why he had trouble now. Before debuting, he had to sing high notes for several days and sometimes even lost his voice because of that. But that was not his only challenge, because dancing was also a big problem. BTS is a Hip-Hop Idol, so dancing is a must and is more important than singing. Even while looking at his kind face, we can see Jin has grown up as a sincere and relaxed person. But as he met trainee after trainee from the agency, they would say things to him like, " You have to go with swag and it looks cool," so this transition became a particular challenge for him, until he adjusted to the Hip-Hop style. So his actual desire to become an actor should now stood in his way, since the other trainees had already trained hard for years, while he had only started at this point. So, he had no other choice but to train harder than the others. Like that, every day was scary for him and he was under tremendous pressure, he had to catch up very fast, because the only way out was to keep practicing every day. But like that, producer Bang Si-hyuk chose him to be a member of the debut group "BTS" because of his attitude, good looks and persistent diligence. In 2013, two years into his trainee life, Jin finally made his debut (2013) as a sub-vocalist for BTS. But after the brief happiness, the activities after his debut were more difficult than during his apprenticeship. After his debut, Jin was so encumbered that he sang even while sleeping and kept saying "I'm sorry", so even in his dream he kept practicing and apologizing. Also on the debut's title track, "No More Dream (2013)”, he was criticized for his clumsy dance moves, although he had practiced ten hours a day for more than two months and suffered greatly. Also, RM wasn't good at dancing in the beginning, so he and Jin got the nickname "BTS's Two Wings (양날개)", but unlike Jin, RM (Rap Monster) was very good at something else, as his name suggests "rapping" so that Jin only felt more pressure. And because he didn't see any significant improvement no matter how hard he trained, he got upset with his body and said: When I dance, my body doesn't follow me well and I think this is because I don't have enough muscles in my body. So I am exercising every day to get more muscles. I don't know how long it will take to gain muscles, but it should be possible to have muscle in my body and be able to dance well, right?" That's a really small but also a huge dream of mine. At that time he always danced on both ends except when it wasn't his turn because his dancing skills and rhythm were still relatively poor and he had to concentrate on the choreography. Because of that, People continued to point out his bad dancing skills, and slowly his self-esteem started to drop. Then, when Suga was injured early in their debut and couldn't go on stage, Jin said, "It would have been better if I had been hurt, instead of Suga, I'm so sorry." So everyone could see that his self-esteem had hit the bottom. And even harder was that, the other members performed perfectly on the same day they got a new choreography, but Jin couldn't do it, no matter how hard he trained. However, he never gave up! To be able to learn everything faster, he even went to the dance training an hour earlier and stayed longer afterwards, so the teacher could check on his choreography again and again. Caught in this situation, he couldn't attract much attention because the other members were so outstanding that all attention was on them, so he got a bit lost in the shows until one day he said his fans' favorite words on a show (2015). Yes, Jin. You've worked really hard and you will work even harder as you go on. But I know how hard you work. Only you have to know how hard you work. In that very special moment, people could finally see that he is not only a very hardworking but also a mentally strong person. Because until this moment he had always held back and endured everything in silence but couldn't hold his tears anymore, showing great emotions on the "Most Beautiful Moment in Life” Concert (2015). Today... Today my parents came here. Where are you? Could you stand up? Mother. Oh, there she is. ...... Everyone, It’s okay. When I was a student, my mother used to just listen to her friends bragging about their sons. And she listened to them without saying anything. So I thought that also I want my mother to brag about her son to others, too. Thanks to this, I can show this good stage. I want to tell my family that I’m very thankful. I love you mom and dad. I love you, too. ARMY.“ Like this Jin, who has such a warm heart, was very shy from a young age on. Even after his 20s, he was so shy that he couldn't even maintain eye contact with women at the university, perhaps because he had attended only boys schools. But also after his debut, he remained shy, even hiding behind his manager's shoulder when fans kept saying `he was so handsome'. Jin, have a safe trip. Good bye, Jin. You're so handsome today. Your eyes aren't swollen at all. I don't want to let you go. Jin, your eyes aren't swollen at all. the most handsome in the world. But his shy personality started to change completely from 2016 on. In the choreography of "Fire (2016)" there was a scene where he sends a flying kiss with his hand, and with that, his personality gradually started to change after seeing the reaction of people who he made happy with it. It was the moment when Kim Seok-jin, who had no confidence and was always intimidated at the beginning of his debut, was reborn as the Jin we know today. At the same time, his personality changed, he also showed his professionalism, which is clearly shown by the accident (2016) during a concert. When fireworks exploded during the concert, he was injured and grabbed his ear in pain. A firework spark burned his in-ear, which was dangerous, because this could have led to an electric shock. But although his ear was red and in pain, as shown in the video, he finished the performance without showing his problem. Only after finishing the performance, he took the in-ear plug out and his face showed clearly pain. Meanwhile, he did find his confidence and did even take on new challenges like writing and composing. At the beginning of his debut, he didn't think he would write a song, but he was able to start after meeting the other BTS members and got very interested in music. Since it was his first solo song, he was rejected 20 times, but he didn't give up and that's how "AWAKE (2016)" came about. AWAKE The lyrics show how difficult it was for him from his debut on, where he attracted only a little attention because of his looks. I'm just walking and walking, among this darkness.
The happy times asked me this question. You, are you really okay? I replied no, I'm so afraid. Still, I hold the 6 flowers tightly in my hands. I’m just walking. After this, he perfectly sang the highlight of the second half of “It's Definitely You (2016)”, the OST of the drama, “Hwarang”, showing a meaningful improvement in the vocal part he was struggling with before It's Definitely You And in November 2016, BTS won the Grand prize at the Melon Music Awards, and for the first time in three years since their debut, the members seemed surprised by the big award, rather than being happy. Maybe at that moment, Jin remembered the past when he had to suffer so much and work harder than the others, because among all the BTS members, Jin shed the most tears. Later, at the WINGS TOUR (2017), he explained how he could change to his best, because of the love of the other members and the AMRYs. Actually, I had a really low confidence, I was too shy, and too quiet. Anyway, I gained confidence as I worked on BTS with the other members. In the meantime, meeting ARMYs and performing, like that I gained more confidence and became this shameless me (laughs). In fact, he showed a very happy and relaxed manner on stage afterwards, n o longer an anxious and insecure attitude. And at the long-awaited Billboard Music Awards (2017), many people asked “who is the man sending kisses, the third member from the left”, so from then on, the hashtag (#) “Third member from the Left”bombarded Twitter, and the whole world, beyond Korea, started to be interested in him. Since then, he has shown tremendous growth in his dance skills in DNA activities (2017), and he has performed one solo song (2018) in succession. For your information, this song became a hot topic three years later (2021), because this was known as a miracle for an autistic boy in Mexico. Because of severe autism, this boy covered his ears and was scared to listen to any music, but one day, he listened to one song and sang along to it for the first time, and it was "Epiphany (2018).” Epiphany Jin, who has trained so hard, even while sleeping, kept singing and apologizing in his dreams, was now even able to improve his voice so much, that he could make "a miracle" happen. And for their successive performances, BTS received the Artist of the Year Award at the 2018 MAMA Awards, and many members shed tears because of that. And even though Jin was in tears in a very special moment, he found his strength and mentioned the "disbandment of BTS” while the other members couldn't say anything. "ARMY~! Uhm… I remember the beginning of this year,
It was an emotionally draining time for us.
So, we had a talk and we even considered disbanding. But I think its’ a relief that we could make such a good result, after holding ourselves. I’m so thankful to our members to hold their hearts and so thankful to members No.. to ARMYs who always love us. Thank you. The group became so famous that the average schedule was a grueling 28.5 days a month, and their contract also needed to be renewed, so that’s why the disbandment of the group was seriously considered. However, on the screen, Jin didn't talk so much about his difficulties. And one day, he explained the reason for that. Sometimes I check the reactions of my fans on the internet. So I can see everyone is happy when I'm happy, but there are some people who sympathize with my heartbreaks too and are depressed with me. They watch me because they want to feel good, but if I think, "The fans are heartbroken because of me”, then my heart hurts more, so I try to only show my bright side on the show. I'm happy when the fans see me and get positive energy from me. However, in a documentary filmed in 2019, he confessed his difficulties as the human Kim Seok-jin not as Jin, a member of BTS for the first time. “
I feel so pressured to meet people. I haven't changed myself, but my acquaintances think they are no match to me anymore so that people leave me and I feel bad. I think losing people around me is the hardest part. For me, Jin from BTS, tries his best to always live brightly, but on the other side, Me, “the normal Kim Seok jin” has a bit of a difficult life. Although Jin is the one who only wants to show his fans his happy side, there is also another side in which he wants to share his sadness and difficulties.
And that's with music. In 2019, he released "Tonight (2019)" which showed his longing heart, thinking about his pets who passed away, including Jjangu. "TONIGHT" It was a song that caused him conflicted feelings because on one hand, he wanted a lot of people to listen to his music, which he wrote, and on the other hand, he didn't want too many people listening to his songs and being sad. And he is now also very successful in the major charts, receiving rave reviews called “Silver Voice” through "MOON (2020)”, a solo song for ARMYs who couldn't meet due to COVID. "MOON" Also we saw the tremendous improvement of his dancing skills while performing “ON" and "Black Swan”. And later, in the show, “In the Forest”, at a Conversation Jin told the other members. My life changed after I met you guys. I used to live with the flow, but I think the people around me are definitely important. You guys always try your best. And I'm learning from that.
He didn't have any experience in dancing before he became a trainee, so he couldn't control or move his body as he wanted to. However, a dream doesn't become reality through magic. But he could improve his dance skills with sweat, determination, and hard work. In Korea, it is customary that if you are an older brother, you must also be a role model for the younger ones. However, despite being the oldest member in the group, Jin spoke openly about his weakness and made amazing improvements through his great effort. Actually when the group was once asked, "Which one of you works the hardest," they all said Jin. And because the older brother (Jin) inspired everyone with his iron will, everyone worked harder on themselves, and like that the group grew together. Thus, in a push-and-pull mutual relationship, BTS grew for the best and later released a new song that completely turned K-pop history on its head. "DYNAMITE" Through the song “Dynamite (2020)”, BTS became the first Korean singers to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 followed with great interest. They were so happy that the song, which they made out of a desire to enjoy it with AMRYs during the tough Covid time, got great results, but unfortunately, the joy didn't last very long. After BTS won the number one spot on the Billboard charts, Jin began to think that he was over praised for his qualifications, he also felt sorry for other great singers and this led to a Burnout. And one day, while he was speaking about his Burnout with Bang Si-hyuk, he got the suggestion “try to write that emotion in a song." However, Jin hesitated and said, "We are already so famous and have achieved so much, what if the outcome is bad?" but Bang Si-hyuk encouraged Jin to do so. So Jin put all those emotions in the song, “ABYSS (2020).” ABYSS After the release, he said, "When I wrote the lyrics for ABYSS, I felt like I was really, really deep down and I was very sad, but most of those feelings were relieved in the process of singing and recording the song." After he did not stop there, he continued to participate in writing lyrics and performing solo songs.
"STAY (2020)” was made out of a sense of the loss that he couldn’t meet ARMYs at concerts due to Covid. STAY So came "YOURS (2021)”, which was the OST of Jirisan, a Korean drama. "YOURS" "Super Tuna (2021)" was created out of fun but was released through the recommendation of those around him, and topped the global YouTube music category for 16 days. "SUPA TUNA" Meanwhile, a comment said, “While everyone else is singing about love, sex and break ups, here’s Jin singing about Tuna. and it’s just so wholesome! How can I un-love this man?” And this comment got lots of interest. So came "The Astronaut (2022)", a collaboration with Coldplay. The Astronaut And in October 2022, HIVE suddenly announced the “concrete preparations to fulfill mandatory military service”, which surprised many people. And right after HIVE’s announcement, Jin impressed many ARMYs for the first time, answering the questions which were never revealed before. In fact, after BTS topped the Billboard 200 for the first time in K-POP history in 2018, the National Assembly of Korea began discussing BTS' military service exemption, and many Koreans began to pay attention to BTS. Citizens' opinions on their military conscription were highly divided, and in the midst of all this, all the criticism was focused on BTS's. However, among the members, Jin, the eldest member, used to say, "We will go to the military.” In an interview with Sunday Morning in 2019, he said that joining the military is natural for Koreans. “As a Korean its natural Jin said, and someday when duty calls, we’ll be ready to respond and do our best.” He also said this many times in Korea in 2020. "I think military service is due duty, and I will respond at any time, if there is a call from the country." "As a young man in Korea, I think military service is a matter of course, and as I said every time, I will respond at any time if there is a call from the country." As such, BTS has expressed its position that they will serve in the military, but Korean politicians unnecessarily said, "Let's decide on BTS' military enlistment through a public vote," and numerous medias have produced articles stating, "The privilege of military enlistment is given only to BTS, and the Young people feel a sense of relative deprivation from them.” And because of these politicians and media who used BTS for their own purposes, BTS were criticized nationwide without any wrongdoing. However, on October 28, Jin finally revealed that BTS and he had been hiding for a long time about their military issues BTS was supposed to join the military in 2020 after the activity of the album, "BE (2020)" , but later “Dynamite”, “Butter”, and “Permission to Dance” were loved worldwide and so they missed the enlistment time. Since topping the Billboard chart, the seven members have not been able to simply decide on their military enlistment themselves, and also the HIVE has not been able to easily stop all the activities of the world's most beloved BTS. Successively, the military enlistment was delayed due to the continuous concerts, and finally, an internal decision was made which said "let's have a Busan concert where we can see Korean ARMYs and go afterwards to the military.” So, the last concert of the seven members was held in Busan, Korea (October 15). In fact, Jin's decision to enlist in the military was made back in June (2022), so he could have announced all of this earlier. However, they didn't want to have "a tearful concert but a happy concert," that's why they didn't tell anyone that the Busan concert is the last one. In order not to spoil the joy of the AMRYs, they kept it a secret, even though they received a lot of criticism. BTS has been able to rise to its present position thanks to their constant efforts and dedication. But, if I have to point out one of the most important members in creating today’s BTS, I would like to do it with Kim Seok-jin. In the past, Jin said this (2016). In fact, we have no choice but to focus on the reactions from the fans. It's hard to listen to the public's opinions directly because the comments are mainly written by fans. Even the friend’s of my friends don't know our song or when we make a comeback. By the way, he made this comment shortly after he topped the Korean charts and the iTunes music charts in the U.S. with "Fire (2016)”. He's really good at self-objectifying and surprisingly rational when he says things like, "It's true that even the friend's of my friends don't know who we are," even though they already topped the KOREAN and U.S. music charts. As such he is an incredibly rational person, on the other hand, he is very smart and the most playful person among the members, and one of the reasons for the very warm family atmosphere between the BTS members. When we need to do something we have never done before, we usually seek help and advice from others who have done it before, so we can solve the problem. However, since no one had ever experienced the achievements that BTS had achieved so far, they had no choice but to worry about themselves and make their own answers. And the pressure they faced was beyond anyone's imagination, so there's nothing more important to them than keeping the happy atmosphere in the group, and the eldest, Jin, has done this job perfectly. If you simply mix “7 strong colors” together, all colors can be lost, but because of Jin’s special warm and cheerful personality, those colors can develop into a “Beautiful BTS Rainbow” harmoniously. In response to the message "The best yet to come" from the last title track "Yet To Come (2022)”, Jin said, "I think the best moment has come every time. How can there be anything beyond this moment? It doesn't make sense." I hereby quote Jin who said "Every time is the best moment", wishing everyone who watched this video to the end that every second of your life is also "The best Moment" that you can have, with these words I end this video.
