On April 3, Vogue released an interview video featuring the members of BTS as part of the promotion for their album “ARIRANG,” which was released on March 20. This time, BTS split into teams for the interview: the rap line—RM, SUGA, and j-hope—joined by Golden Maknae Jungkook formed one group, while the vocal line—Jin, Jimin, and V—were grouped together.
The rap line along with Jungkook took part in a segment titled “BTS (방탄소년단) Teaches You кσяєαn | Vogue.” In this video, the four members directly taught viewers some basic кσяєαn words and phrases commonly used in everyday life. Through relatable situations such as greetings, self-introductions, and expressing emotions, each member took turns pronouncing the phrases, explaining their meanings in English, and even acting out scenarios to help viewers understand more easily.
However, one part of the interview drew particular attention from fans. While explaining the meaning of the кσяєαn word “jeong” (정), which refers to affection or emotional bond, Jungkook said, “I think its hard to encapsulate in one sentence.” The other members agreed, noting that “jeong” is very difficult to translate or fully express in English.
RM then added, “We've also formed a lot of jeong with ARMY.” He went on to give an example: “Let's say Jungkook suddenly did soмєтнing kind of odd. There are times when Jungkook is annoying, but you've still formed so much jeong for him.”
This example sparked mixed reactions online. While some people viewed it as a normal and relatable way of explaining the concept, others questioned whether it was necessary to use Jungkook as an example and criticized RM’s way of describing the youngest member of the group. One representative comment expressed dissatisfaction: "No wonder JK always underestimates himself because of the gaslighters and manipulators around him".
Many others also reacted: "Absolutely did not like the way RM gave an 'example' using JK's name. Well, it was absolutely not required at all", "Army say that Jungkook is free to do whatever he wants, when this is the reality. He is suffocated by hierarchy and older members because of his age and his maknae role, and he is too polite and well mannered to react and treat them harshly like they often do with him", "I’m really tired of them constantly trying to create a narrative around Jungkook. What exactly are they trying to do?",...
However, many fans pushed back against these reactions, arguing that some viewers were overreacting and that Jungkook himself did not seem uncomfortable with RM’s example. One fan said: "Am I мιѕѕιиg soмєтнing?? Why Joon is getting dragged over this cute innocent video?? What's wrong with people's mentality??"
Others also rushed to defend the bond between RM and Jungkook, expressing: "Why is everyone in the qrts proudly announcing they have no friends no social sкιℓℓs & no sense of humor?? is this a loser convention??", "Like I'm literally not finding any odd vibe from this video. What did he even say to Jk that he is getting this much hate!!?? All he said even tho Jk Sometimes annoying still we have so much affection on him!!!?? Little siblings tend to annoy anyways!!", "Namjoon said it as a situational example. You need to share the full context here. He didn't actually say Jungkook is annoying",..
Meanwhile, since BTS’s comeback, there have been repeated instances of unfounded rumors circulating about alleged rifts between the members. Some observers believe that because BTS is one of the rare groups to return with a full lineup after a long hiatus—and virtually the only K-pop group to maintain both its original lineup and mαѕѕive global popularity after more than a decade—such success inevitably attracts jealousy, speculation, and rumors about the members’ relationships.
However, the members have consistently emphasized that their relationship remains as close as that of a family. In a recent interview with GQ, they stated: “We all treasure BTS more than we treasure each one of us separately. We debuted as a group, so I think that’s the core identity that we have.”
Jin also firmly stated in the documentary about the production of “ARIRANG”: “In LA, when I reunited with the members, I didn’t feel like colleagues, but more like seeing family I hadn’t seen in a while.” Previously, SUGA also shared in an individual interview: “They’re the people I’ve spent the most time with and met the most in my 30 years of life. We’ve really become a family. There’s no other word to describe our relationship. We are family.”
After everything, the members’ own firm statements remain the clearest reality. For true fans, there is no need to search for answers elsewhere—simply trusting what they themselves share is more than enough!
