Last month, BTS released their fifth studio album titled ARIRANG and are now traveling across 34 cities on their global tour of the same name, which will run until early next year. Since their comeback, BTS have impressed au∂ιєnces by showcasing a bold, powerful “version 2.0” of themselves. This transformation is evident not only in their music, but also in their evolving style and visual presentation, further solidifying this new era. Most notably, Jimin’s long hair has become a major talking point.

Starting from the “BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG” performance held at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, Jimin went viral across online platforms with his long, flowing blond hair and explosive stage presence. Keywords such as “Lion Jimin King,” “Baby Lion Jimin,” “Bukcheong Lion Jimin,” and “That blonde guy” quickly climbed real-time trending charts.

Following that, at the concert held at Goyang Stadium on April 9, Jimin delivered a captivating, almost mythical performance with his flowing blond hair paired with a dark, edgy leather outfit. This striking image earned him the nickname “Grand Duke of the North,” once again placing him at the center of discussions.

In particular, after watching his impressive appearance in a video from the second day of the concert (April 11), international fans couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s like he just walked out of Game of Thrones.” Au∂ιєnces continuously compared him to characters like Jon Snow, as well as the Stark and Targaryen houses, affectionately calling him “Stark Jimin” or “Targaryen Jimin.”

Not stopping there, throughout concerts from נαραи to Tampa, Jimin continued to draw attention as his hair grew even longer, creating a cinematic look that even evoked the main characters of fantasy animated films. This is considered one of the rare times the idol has experimented with such long hair, going far beyond his previous styles, which were limited to mullets or lightly wavy medium-length looks.

Because of this bold yet highly successful transformation, fans became increasingly curious about the origin of this styling idea. The answer was revealed by Kim Hyun Jung—also known as Nicole Kim, Vice CEO of Big Hit Music—in a recent interview with JoongAng Daily.

When the interviewer mentioned, “The members' transformed styling has also become a hot topic?”, Kim immediately thought of Jimin as a representative case and responded: “Jimin’s long hair was his own idea.”

This revelation instantly delighted the fan community. Rather than being a decision made by stylists or the creative team, Jimin’s viral long hairstyle turned out to be entirely his own idea. This not only demonstrates his initiative in shaping his image, but also reflects his increasingly distinct artistic identity in this current phase.

Many believe that Jimin fully understands himself and his strengths. The long hair he chose has undeniably helped complete his multifaceted image—at times seductive and cool, at others pure like a “fairy” or a “character straight out of a comic.” His long hair is not merely a change in appearance, but a statement of creative freedom and personal identity, making him stand out even more.

Fans couldn’t help but express their admiration after learning this information:

- Jimin said if you want me jumping around, I will become a rockstar!!! His hair is his identity

- Of course he is a genius. He knows what he should do. Besides, that man is dying to grow his hair 

- I knew that it was all him, because when Jimin styles himself he always chooses the best outfits and styles that suits his personality and character, the company has never styled him well and thank you Jimin for blessing us with this beautiful look on you. Love it

- He is a trendsetter. And I absolutely love Jimin’s creative mind; his new style is insane

- He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s got everyone losing their minds

- Creative king, vision king… he really knew exactly what he was doing

- I'm so glad Jimin made that decision, it suits him so well, he shouldn't cut his hair at all, my baby

- Of course it was Jimin’s—I knew it. No one, and I mean NO ONE, comes up with ideas like my Stylist Min

- I knew it! He’s so good at self-producing. He did mention that he’d been thinking for a long time about what kind of hairstyle to wear on stage