Who is BTS's Jin: Biography, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth
Who is BTS's Jin: Biography, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth. Photo: OneHallyu.com

Kim Seok-jin (born December 4, 1992), also known professionally as Jin, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS since June 2013. Kim has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" (2016), "Epiphany" (2018), and "Moon" (2020), all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Kim released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He also appeared on the 2016 Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth soundtrack alongside BTS member V. Kim has received critical praise for his falsetto and emotional range as a singer.

Apart from singing, Kim appeared as a host on multiple South Korean music programs from 2016 to 2018. In 2018, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea along with the other members of BTS, for his contributions to Korean culture.

Here are his full biography, career, personal life, and net worth.

Who is Kim Seok-jin?

Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

Kim Seok-jin, also known as “Jin,” is a singer-songwriter from South Korea and a vocalist of the noted seven-member South Korean K-pop boy band ‘BTS.’ Jin entered the music industry after being spotted by ‘Big Hit Entertainment’ and eventually made his debut with ‘BTS,’ in the band’s debut effort, ‘2 Cool 4 Skool.’ His first co-produced track, ‘Awake,’ was a solo single from second album of ‘BTS,’ ‘Wings.’ The song ‘Epiphany,’ which became part of the ‘BTS’ compilation album ‘Love Yourself: Answer’ and made its way to top spots on several international charts (including the fourth spot on the ‘Billboard World Digital Singles Chart’), was Jin’s second solo. He has garnered worldwide recognition as a member of ‘BTS.’

The band has reached new heights of success with time and is known for its global influence. Jin and the other members of ‘BTS’ have received several honors and awards as part of the group, including the fifth-class ‘Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit’ awarded by South Korean president Moon Jae-in. Jin has collaborated on the song ‘It's Definitely You’ with fellow ‘BTS’ member V and has hosted shows such as ‘KBS Song Festival’ and ‘Music Bank.’

Early Life and Education

Photo: IMDb
Photo: IMDb

Kim Seok-jin was born on December 4, 1992, in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. His family consists of his mother, father, and older brother. In 2007, he went to a study camp in Australia to learn English.

Kim originally wanted to be a journalist, but decided to pursue acting after watching Kim Nam-gil in Queen Seondeok. While in junior high school, he was scouted by South Korean K-pop agency SM Entertainment off the street, but rejected the offer at the time. Initially intending to be an actor, Kim attended Konkuk University and graduated with a degree in Film Studies on February 22, 2017. He later enrolled in graduate school at Hanyang Cyber University, to pursue studies in areas other than music.

Career

Photo: Instagram
Photo: Instagram

Jin debuted with ‘BTS’ as one of its four vocalists, on June 13, 2013. Their debut single album was ‘2 Cool 4 Skool.’

The solo single ‘Awake’ from the 2016-released album of ‘BTS,’ titled ‘Wings,’ was sung by Jin. It was the first co-produced track released by him. He co-wrote the track along with Slow Rabbit, "Hitman" Bang, RM, J-Hope, June, and Pdogg. The track reached number 31 on the ‘Gaon Music Chart’ and number 6 on the ‘Billboard World Digital Singles Chart.’ Later, in December the same year, Jin released a Christmas version of the song on ‘SoundCloud.’

Jin, along with his fellow ‘BTS’ member V, sang ‘It's Definitely You.’ It was released as part of the original soundtrack of the South Korean TV series ‘Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.’ The song fetched Jin a nomination for the ‘Best OST Award’ at the 2017 ‘Melon Music Awards.’

The second solo by the singer was ‘Epiphany.’ It was first released on August 9, 2018, as a trailer for the then-forthcoming compilation album of ‘BTS,’ titled ‘Love Yourself: Answer’.’ A full version of the song was later released as part of the compilation album on August 24 that year. The song, described by ‘Billboard’ as a "building pop-rock melody," reached number 30 on the ‘Gaon Music Chart,’ number 5 on the ‘K-pop Hot 100’ chart in South Korea, and number 4 on the ‘Billboard World Digital Singles Chart.’

He also collaborated with another ‘BTS’ member, Jungkook. They released a different version of the song ‘So Far Away,’ originally released by ‘BTS’ member Suga (Agust D) in the latter’s self-titled mixtape ‘Agust D.’

Jin has also sung cover versions of songs by other artists, which he has released on ‘SoundCloud.’ These include the solo cover of ‘Mom’ by Ra.D, which released on May 7, 2015; ‘I Love You’ by Mate, which released on December 3, 2015; and ‘In Front of the Post Office in Autumn’ by Yoon Do-hyun, which released on June 7, 2018.

Over the years, Jin has co-written several songs for different albums of ‘BTS.’ These include ‘Outro: Circle Room Cypher’ from the album ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’ (2013), ‘Outro: Love Is Not Over’ and ‘Boyz with Fun’ from the album ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Part 1’ (2015), ‘Love Is Not Over’ from the album ‘The Most Beautiful Moment in Life: Young Forever’ (2016), and ‘Awake’ from the album ‘Wings’ (2016).

Jin has co-hosted various TV music programs. These include the ‘SBS’-aired ‘Inkigayo’ in 2016, the ‘Mnet’-aired ‘M Countdown’ in 2016 and 2017, and the ‘KBS2’-aired ‘Music Bank’ in 2018. Jin also appeared on the ‘SBS’-aired South Korean reality-documentary show ‘Law of the Jungle’ in 2017 and has co-hosted the annual South Korean music show ‘KBS Song Festival’ in 2017 and 2018.

According to data collected by ‘Gallup Korea,’ Jin was named the eleventh most-well-known idol in South Korea in 2018. That year, Jin and his elder brother launched a Japanese-style restaurant named ‘Ossu Seiromushi’ in Seoul. The same year, in October, Jin and the other members of the band ‘BTS’ (which has received several awards and honors over the years and also holds seven ‘Guinness World Records’ as of 2019) were awarded the fifth-class ‘Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit’ by South Korean president Moon Jae-in.

Kim is a tenor and can play the guitar. In Kim Young-dae's 2019 novel BTS: The Review, members of the Grammy panel stated that his voice has stable breath control and a strong falsetto, calling it a "silver voice". Journalist Choi Song-hye, writing for Aju News, wrote that BTS singles such as "Spring Day" and "Fake Love" displayed Kim's vocal stability, while the b-side "Jamais Vu" did so for his emotional range. Hong Hye-min of The Korea Times described Kim's voice as "tender, sorrowful, [and] free-spirited" and considered it to be the "standout element" on the solo ballad "Epiphany". Critic Park Hee-a, when discussing "Epiphany", stated that Kim "sings the most sentimental emotions" of the solo tracks on Love Yourself: Answer. In a review of "Fake Love", Park said that Kim's belting "prove[d] [the song's] effectiveness".

Family & Personal Life

Photo: Getty Images
Photo: Getty Images

Jin owns a luxury apartment worth US$1.7 million in South Korea, which he bought in 2018. However, he still lives with his band members in Hannam-dong in Seoul. In December 2018, he celebrated his birthday by donating supplies such as food, blankets, and dishes to the ‘Korean Animal Welfare Association’ and also by donating 321 kg of food to the non-profit organization ‘Korea Animal Rights Advocates’ (KARA), which also supports animal welfare in Korea.

Jin’s favorite hobbies are cooking, eating, taking care of pets, playing video games, and snowboarding. He also features in his own “mukbang” show called ‘Eat Jin,’ where he is sometimes joined by other ‘BTS’ members such as Suga, Jimin, and Jungkook.

Jin currently attends graduate school at the ‘Hanyang Cyber University,’ where he studies subjects other than music.

Reporter nicknames #BTS's #Jin as the "Number One Handsome Guy Representing The Universe"

BTS's Jin has been known as a visual king ever since debuting. Many people are also aware of him being famous for insane handsomeness in his pre-BTS life too. The entire university and acting school have been knowing Jin as a gorgeous young man.

While still being a rookie, Jin has won over the Big3 groups' members in voting for the most handsome idol on Korean TV. Many times since then, he has been selected as the "Face Genius" in various polls.

It is a widely known story how Jin made the USA public fall in love with him after BTS's appearance at the 2017 BBMAs. It is now a tradition that anytime the group appears at American events; the audience grows a colossal crush on Jin. He has over 75 nicknames just for visuals!

On April 19, BTS finally returned to South Korea after staying in the USA for almost a month. As expected, Jin was wearing a mask following the quarantine restrictions. However, his eyes, hair, and the body of a podium model still made the idol stand out. A total heartthrob without even trying!

A Korean media reporter gave Jin another catchy nickname when reporting about him rocking a casual boyfriend look at the Incheon Airport.

The reporter crowned Jin as the "Number One Handsome Guy Representing The Universe"! It even trended for days under the Music category on Twitter due to fans actively discussing the new title.

His close relationship with his mother

Kim Seok-jin from BTS –or Worldwide Handsome, as he proudly calls himself — turns 29 today. The eldest ‘hyung’ (Korean word used for older brother) is loved by ARMY for his cheerful countenance, perpetual ‘dad jokes’, uncontrolled laughter, and, of course, his caring and affectionate attitude towards the rest of his band members, especially V and Jungkook. From giving Jungkook heating pads, to carrying an exhausted Jimin after a performance and telling him to rest, there’s no doubt that he is reliable older brother to the septet.

Owing to innumerable interviews and of course the variety show, ARMY has learnt that Jin is known to ‘lift the mood’, during the band’s trying times, as RM once revealed. He is also the ‘ice-breaker’, and knows how to put everyone at ease with his jokes. In fact, J-Hope once said that he gives the team strength, and holds the group together.

Yet, as shown in their interviews and BTS: Burn The Stage documentary, Jin struggles with self-esteem issues and is working hard to be less vulnerable.

These are further exacerbated by the fact that unlike the others, Jin was neither a singer or a dancer when he joined BTS. During his earlier interviews, Jin comes across as a lot less confident, as he refers to himself as ‘uncharismatic’, believing that it was the reason why he used to fight with the rest of the members. During one particular heated fight with V, a rather abashed Jin said that he just pretends to smile and be cheery, and that he has a dark side that he keeps hidden.

From the youngest in his family, to the eldest in the septet, Jin has come a long way in his journey. “When I was a child, my brother and I always had a huge gap. He would always be the class president. So my mother always favoured him,” he once revealed. He once broke down on stage, as he recalled how he felt that his mother would never ‘brag’ about him. Jin said, “When I was younger, my mother used to just listen to her friends bragging about their sons. So I realised I want to make my mother proud.”

He was selected for BTS, owing to his looks, and had to work harder to master complex choreography. He once said, “I didn’t know anything in the audition, what to do, how to sing. I didn’t understand the rhythm.” During a live he revealed how hard he had to work on himself. “Without skipping a day, I exercise while the kids are sleeping, but I don’t know when my body will start gaining muscles, then maybe I would be able to dance well.”

His efforts did not go unnoticed by other BTS members, who have always been in awe of him. Jimin once said in the BTS documentary, “He works hard to improve his weaknesses. He works silently for our team.” Jungkook observed, “You won’t see him practising. He doesn’t make it obvious that he is practising on his own. He’s just the kind that shows results of his practice.”

Jin’s confidence blossomed further when he started writing lyrics, and then releasing three solo tracks, Awake, Epiphany and Moon. It’s well-known that every BTS member brings something different to the table — and Jin brought with him his unusual emotional range as a singer, and his falsetto. The song Dionysus is a clear example of his singing prowess, as he effortlessly switches from a deep voice to a high falsetto. Yet, he still remains a little conscious of his dancing skills owing to constant scrutiny, and has admitted several times on record that he isn’t as fast as the others, something that the rest of the members vehemently disagreed with. Jin achieved another milestone this year, with his OST Yours for the show Jirisan.

Does Jin have a girlfriend?

Jin is publicly single because there is no one that is confirmed to be his girlfriend. As a K-pop idol, the agency and Jin himself have to release an official statement if he is dating anyone.

But, up to this day, Jin has never confirmed any dating rumors that linked to him. From his debut until now, there is no dating news of him that turned to be true either.

Fun facts about BTS member Jin

Who is BTS's Jin: Biography, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth
Photo: Melon Music Awards 2019

He’s from a well off family and has one older brother, his mom and his dad.

Jin once studied abroad in Australia, though he still gets self-conscious when speaking English (he’s really good at it though).

He likes to collect Super Mario related toys and still likes to play video games in his free time.

Jin is one of the few members of BTS that has his license and can drive (as seen on Bon Voyage season 3).

He enjoys snowboarding and recently picked up the hobby of fishing as well.

Jin and his brother own a restaurant together in Seoul.

He has explained that he likes to be silly because he enjoys making others happy.

Jin self-taught himself how to play the guitar and can even sing while playing.

For his most recent birthday in 2019, Jin donated food and other items to an animal welfare center.

Net Worth

Photo: Pinterest
Photo: Pinterest

Jin is a South Korean singer who has a net worth of $20 million. Jin, AKA Kim Seokjin, is best known for being a member of the South Korean boy band BTS, also known as the Bangtan Boys.

BTS formed in 2013 and released their debut studio album Dark & Wild in Korean in 2014. That album reached #2 in Korea and #3 on the US World chart. BTS released the Korean album Wings in 2016 which reached #1 in Korea and #1 on the US World chart. The group released the Korean album Love Yourself: Tear in 2018 which reached #1 in Korea and on the Billboard 200 chart as well as on the US World chart. The album also reached #2 in Canada, #3 in Japan, and the Top 10 in several other countries. BTS released the Japanese album Wake Up in 2014 which reached #3 in Japan and their Japanese album Youth was released in 2016 and reached #1 in Japan. Their Japanese album Face Yourself was released in 2018 and reached #1 in Japan and on the US World chart. They have had many #1 singles including "Fire", "Blood Sweat & Tears", "Spring Day", "Not Today", "DNA", "Fake Love", "For You", and "Chi, Ase Namida".

About BTS

Who is BTS's Jin: Biography, Personal Life, Career, Net Worth
Photo: Dispatch

BTS (Korean: 방탄소년단; RR: Bangtan Sonyeondan), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band that was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produces much of their own output. Originally a hip hop group, their musical style has evolved to include a wide range of genres. Their lyrics, often focused on personal and social commentary, touch on the themes of mental health, troubles of school-age youth and coming of age, loss, the journey towards loving oneself, and individualism. Their work also often references literature and psychological concepts and includes an alternative universe storyline.

After debuting in 2013 with their single album 2 Cool 4 Skool, BTS released their first Korean-language studio album, Dark & Wild, and Japanese-language studio album, Wake Up, in 2014. The group's second Korean studio album, Wings (2016), was their first to sell one million copies in South Korea. By 2017, BTS crossed into the global music market, leading the Korean Wave into the United States and breaking numerous sales records. They became the first Korean group to receive a certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for their single "Mic Drop", as well as the first Korean act to top the US Billboard 200 with their studio album Love Yourself: Tear (2018). BTS became one of the few groups since the Beatles to earn four US number-one albums in less than two years, and Love Yourself: Answer (2018) was the first Korean album certified Platinum by the RIAA. In 2020, BTS became the first all-South Korean act to reach number one on the Billboard Global 200 and US Billboard Hot 100 with their Grammy-nominated single "Dynamite". Their follow-up releases "Savage Love", "Life Goes On", "Butter", and "Permission to Dance" made BTS the fastest act to accumulate five US number-one singles since Michael Jackson.

Having sold over 32 million albums on the Gaon Music Chart, BTS is the best-selling artist in South Korean history and holds the best-selling album in South Korea with Map of the Soul: 7. They are the first Asian and non-English speaking act to be named the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's (IFPI) Global Recording Artist of the Year (2020–2021), to chart on Billboard's Top Touring Artists of the 2010s (placing at number 45), and to headline and sell out Wembley Stadium and Rose Bowl Stadium (Love Yourself World Tour in 2019). Featured on Time's international cover as "Next Generation Leaders" and dubbed "Princes of Pop", BTS has also appeared on the magazine's lists of the 25 most influential people on the internet (2017–2019) and the 100 most influential people in the world (2019). The group's numerous accolades include six American Music Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, 24 Golden Disk Awards, and nominations for two Grammy Awards and two Brit Awards. Outside of music, they partnered with UNICEF to establish the Love Myself anti-violence campaign, addressed three United Nations General Assemblies, and became the youngest ever recipients of the Order of Cultural Merit from the President of South Korea due to their contributions in spreading Korean culture and language.

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