Jeon Jung-kook (Korean: 전정국; born September 1, 1997), knownmononymously asJung Kook, is a South Korean singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence as a member and vocalist of South Korean boy bandBTS. He has performed three solo songs as part of BTS' discography— "Begin" in 2016, "Euphoria" in 2018, and "My Time" in 2020—all of which charted on South Korea'sGaon Digital Chart. He also recorded the soundtrack song "Stay Alive" for the BTS-basedwebtoon7Fates: Chakho.
In 2022, Jung Kook featured on American singerCharlie Puth's single "Left and Right", which peaked at number 22 on the USBillboard Hot 100. Later that year, he became the first South Korean artist to release an official song for theFIFA World Cup soundtrack with "Dreamers", which he subsequently performed at the2022 FIFA World Cupopening ceremony. In 2023, Jung Kook released his debut solo single "Seven" featuringLatto, which broke numerous chart and streaming records. It debuted at number one on theBillboard Hot 100, theGlobal 200, and theGlobal Excl. U.S. charts, making him the first Korean solo artist to do so, and eventually became the fastest song in history to surpass 1 billion streams onSpotify. His follow-up single "3D", featuringJack Harlow, debuted at number five on both theHot 100 and theUK Singles Chart, making Jung Kook the first South Korean solo artist to achieve two consecutive top-five entries on the latter.
Early life and education
Jeon Jung-kook was born on September 1, 1997, inBusan, South Korea.[3][4][5] His family consists of his parents and an elder brother.[2][5] He attended Baekyang Elementary and Middle School in Busan. When he became anidol trainee, he transferred to Singu Middle School inSeoul.[2]
In 2011, Jung Kook auditioned for the South Korean talent showSuperstar K during its auditions inDaegu.[6] Though he was not selected, he received casting offers from seven entertainment companies. He eventually chose to become a trainee underBig Hit Entertainment after seeingRM, now his fellow band member and leader inBTS, perform.[6] To work on his dance skills in preparation for his debut, he went toLos Angeles during the summer of 2012 to receive dance training from Movement Lifestyle.[7] In June 2012, he appeared inJo Kwon's "I'm Da One" music video[8] and was a backup dancer forGlam before his debut.[9]
He graduated from theSchool of Performing Arts Seoul, an arts high school, in 2017.[2][10] In November 2016, he decided to forgo taking theCSATs, Korea's nationwide university entrance exam.[11] In March 2022, he received his degree from Global Cyber University's Department of Broadcasting and Entertainment. He received the President's Award, the school's highest honor.[12]
On June 12, 2013, Jung Kook made his debut as a member of BTS with the release of the single2 Cool 4 Skool.[13] Under BTS, he has sung three solo songs. The first, a pop track titled "Begin", from the 2016 albumWings, 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.[14] The second, afuture 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.[15] Produced byDJ Swivel, the song charted at number five on theBillboardBubbling Under Hot 100. Its full studio version was included on BTS'Love Yourself: Answer compilation album, released on August 24.[1] The third solo, "My Time", off the band's 2020 studio albumMap of the Soul: 7, is an R&B song about forgoing teenage experiences because of his career[16] and charted at number 84 on the USBillboard Hot 100. "Euphoria" and "My Time" are the first and second longest-charting solo tracks among K-pop singers on theBillboardWorld Digital Song Sales chart, having spent a record 90 and 85 weeks respectively on the ranking.[17]
In September 2015, Jung Kook participated in the "One Dream, One Korea" campaign, taking part in a song collaboration alongside various Korean artists in memory of theKorean War. The song was released on September 24 and presented at the One K Concert in Seoul on October 15.[23] The following year, Jung Kook was cast in the pilot episode ofFlower Crew. He also appeared onCelebrity Bromance,[24][25] and competed onKing of Mask Singer under the name "Fencing Man", appearing in episode 72.[26] On November 6, 2018, Jung Kook collaborated with American singerCharlie Puth for a special duet performance of the latter's "We Don't Talk Anymore" single at theMBC Plus X Genie Music Awards.[27] He released the self-produced song "Still With You" for free onSoundCloud on June 4, 2020, as part of BTS' annual debut anniversary celebrations.[28]
In February 2022, Jung Kook sang the soundtrack for7Fates: Chakho, a new BTS-basedwebtoon.[29] Titled "Stay Alive" and produced by bandmateSuga, the song earned Jung Kook his first solo entry on the Hot 100 with its debut at number 95,[30] and his first solo top-ten entry on theBillboard Global Excl. U.S chart at number eight;[31] it also became the first Korean soundtrack in history to debut on theUK Singles Chart, at number 89.[32] He released another self-produced song, "My You", for free on June 12 as part of BTS' ninth anniversary celebrations,[33] and appeared as a featured artist on the single "Left and Right" byPuth later that month.[34] On November 20, Jung Kook released the single "Dreamers" ahead of his performance at theopening ceremony for the2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later that same day; the single was included on the tournament'sofficial soundtrack album.[35] He headlined the event atAl Bayt Stadium, performing the song with Qatari singerFahad Al Kubaisi;[36] he is the first Korean artist to sing an official theme for theWorld Cup and perform at an opening ceremony for the event.[37][38]
Jung Kook was announced as the newestglobal ambassador forCalvin Klein in March 2023.[39] "Still With You" and "My You" were made available on streaming services worldwide as official singles under Jung Kook's name on July 3.[40] His debut solo single "Seven", featuring American rapperLatto, was released on July 14.[41] It debuted at number one on the Hot 100, theGlobal 200, and the Global Excl. US charts, making him the first Korean solo artist to simultaneously top all three charts and the second—afterJimin—to debut atop the Hot 100;[42][43] the song eventually became the fastest in history to surpass 1 billion streams onSpotify.[44] Jung Kook performed as a headliner at theGlobal Citizen Festival inCentral Park,New York City on September 23.[45] His second solo single, "3D", featuringJack Harlow, was released on September 29.[46] It debuted at number five on both the Hot 100[47] and the UK Singles Chart, making Jung Kook the first Korean solo artist to earn two top-five singles on the latter.[48] That same month,The Hollywood Reporter named Jung Kook in its inaugural "Platinum Players of Music" list, as one of the top 25 musicians that "defined the year in music."[49] The collaboration single "Too Much", withthe Kid Laroi andCentral Cee, followed in October.[50] "Too Much" debuted at number 10 in the UK, making Jung Kook the first Korean solo artist to achieve three top-10 singles in UK chart history.[51] His debut solo albumGolden and a third single, "Standing Next to You", were released on November 3.[52]Golden set new all-time opening day and opening week sales records, with over 2.1 and 2.4 million copies respectively, and became the first album by a South Korean solo artist to surpass 2.5 million sales.[53][54] In the US, it debuted at number two on theBillboard 200, making Jung Kook one of the highest-charting South Korean solo artists inBillboard chart history, and the first to sell over 200,000 copies within a week.[54][55]
Big Hit released the single "Never Let Go" by Jung Kook on June 7, 2024, as part of BTS' 11th anniversary celebrations; it is his first project to be released post-enlistment.[56] TheDisney+-exclusive eight-episode travel reality seriesAre You Sure?!, featuring Jung Kook andJimin, premiered on August 8, 2024 with subsequent episodes released weekly through September 19, 2024 and the second season released on December 3, 2025.[57] A film documentary titledI Am Still, chronicling Jung Kook's foray as a solo artist withGolden, premiered in 120 territories worldwide on September 18.[58]
Artistry
Rolling Stone's Brian Hiatt describes Jung Kook as "an extraordinarily soulfultenor".[59] Kim Min-sook, writing for the Korean music websiteReputation, described his voice as "soft" and suitable to sentimental songs, also praising his ability to keep a stableintonation even while dancing,[60] while Mary Siroky ofConsequence observed that he "has the kind of clear, dexterous voice built for pop music".[61] Music critic Kim Young-dae considers Jung Kook's vocal performance to be the strong point of BTS songs such as "Danger",[62] "Butterfly",[63] "Autumn Leaves",[64] and "Lost",[65] as well as his solo song "Euphoria", commenting that his voice is "especially notable, for both the techniques and his detailed, expressive capacity that attributes a lot [of] narrative to ordinary notes".[66] In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked Jung Kook as 191th on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, calling him "an extremely gifted singer" who "hits high notes with ease and harmonizes with hisBTS members effortlessly, always giving his audience new ad-libs and unexpected vocal riffs to keep things interesting".[67]
In a 2019 survey conducted byGallup Korea, Jung Kook ranked as the third most-loved celebrity of the year in South Korea.[71] He debuted on the list in 2016 at 20th,[72] placing 17th in 2017 and eighth in 2018.[73][74] Jung Kook placed first for 10 consecutive weeks on magazineHi China's list of the most beloved celebrities in China in 2018.[75] Various artists have cited him as an influence and role model, such asKim Dong-han andHyeongseop X Euiwoong.[76]
Jung Kook was the most-searched maleK-pop idol onGoogle in the first half of 2019,[77] topping the chart again in the following year,[78] and the most searched K-pop idol onYouTube in 2019 and 2020. OnTumblr, he ranked first on the "Top K-Pop Stars" list for three consecutive years. OnTwitter, his tweets were the most retweeted of 2018 in South Korea and 2019 globally,[79][80] and second-most retweeted of 2020 globally.[81] Jung Kook also set all-time records for the most real-time livestream viewers inV Live history twice, the first time in October 2018 with 3.7 million viewers and again in March 2021 with 22 million viewers.[82][83]
Jung Kook earned the nickname "Sold Out King" from media outlets, as items that he is seen using often sell out quickly.[84][85] These include shoes,[86]Downy fabric softener,[87] wine,[88] novels (namelyI Decided to Live as Me byKim Soo-hyun, which became a best-seller in both Korea and Japan),[89] andHanbok. Korean media credited Jung Kook with the creation of the "Modern Hanbok" fashion trend in the Korean entertainment industry when celebrities such asJun Hyun-moo,Jang Do-yeon,Gong Hyo-jin, MC Oh Seung-hwan andThe Return of Superman's Park Joo-ho began wearing similar clothing after he was photographed wearing it.[90]
In June 2021, a lawmaker of theJustice Party used photos of Jung Kook to promote the legalization of tattoos in South Korea. The posts were widely condemned bynetizens, who accused the lawmaker of taking advantage of Jung Kook's fame for political purposes.[91] That same year, images of Jung Kook were posted by MayorJohn Geesnell Yap ofTagbilaran,Philippines to convince citizens to receive theCOVID-19 vaccine.[92]
In 2024, Jung Kook ranked 9th onForbes Korea Power Celebrity 40.[93] He also made it to theGold House A100 list, recognizing him as one of the "100 Asian Pacific leaders" with the most significant impact on American culture and society.[94] He was named the biggest K-Pop musician in America as he ranked first on the inauguralBillboard K-Pop Artist 100 list.[95] In 2025, Jung Kook made it to theMadame Tussauds Hot 100 list, recognizing him as a global superstar.[96]
In 2026, Jungkook was named the global brand ambassador for the Swiss luxury watchmaker Hublot.[97]
Personal life
Since 2018, Jung Kook has lived inHannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea with his bandmates.[98] In July 2019, he purchased an apartment inYongsan District, Seoul worth₩4 billion, which he gifted to his older brother in December 2020.[99] As of July 2021, Jung Kook's net worth was estimated to be US$20 million.[100]
In 2017, Jung Kook collapsed during a BTS concert in Chile.[102] During the band'sLove Yourself World Tour in 2018, he suffered a heel injury which prevented him from participating in choreography. He did not withdraw from the subsequent European leg of the tour, but sang while seated.[103]
In November 2019, Jung Kook was involved in a car accident with a taxi. Neither party suffered any major injuries, and both reached an amicable settlement.[104]
Philanthropy
Jung Kook donated₩1billion (US$874,164.08) toSeoul National University Children's Hospital in April 2023, for treatment expenses of patients from low-income families and the hospital's integrated care center.[105][106]
Jung Kook donated₩1billion (US$874,164.08) through the Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association in March 2025, with₩500 million (US$437,082.04) for emergency aid and relief supplies ofwildfire victims while the remaining₩500 million (US$437,082.04) for initiatives aimed at raising awareness and improving the working conditions of firefighters.[107] This donation was the largest ever made by a celebrity in the history of disaster relief in South Korea, reason why he became the inaugural member of the Hope Bridge Honors Legacy, a list that honors the most generous donors.[108]
Jung Kook andJimin parading on the day of their military discharge.
Military service
On November 22, 2023, Big Hit announced throughWeverse that Jung Kook, along with bandmatesRM,Jimin, andV, had started the enlistment process to carry out hismandatory military service. Jung Kook confirmed in a subsequent post that he would enlist in December.[109][110][111] He began his military service on December 12, 2023[112] with fellow member Jimin using thebuddy system.[113] They both were discharged on June 11, 2025.[114]
Jung Kook also appeared in theshort film titledBTS Wings Short Film #1 Begin, released in September 2016 in promotion of BTS' fourth studio albumWings.[121]
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^Park, Hyo-sil (December 9, 2025)."고액 기부자와 함께… 단순한 선행 넘어 재난 대응의 한 축으로" [With major donors… Beyond simple good deeds, becoming a pillar of disaster response.].The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). RetrievedDecember 10, 2025 – via Naver.
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