Jungkook Reveals Death Threats on Weverse

BTS’s Jungkook disclosed that he was receiving death threats and hate messages during a live broadcast on the fan community platform Weverse on February 26. Although the video was later removed, it spread rapidly through social media, sparking concerns about violence within the K-pop industry.

The live stream began at around 3:40 a.m. Korean time and lasted approximately 88 minutes. Jungkook appeared to be singing and chatting with friends while under the influence of alcohol, showing signs of emotional distress. During the broadcast, he said, “To be honest, there are probably many people who don’t support me, hate me, or try to belittle me... There might even be people who want to kill me. There are likely many who hate me. But so what? I don’t care.”

He also expressed dissatisfaction with his agency. Saying, “I no longer care about the company. I’ll just live life the way I want,” he indicated his desire to speak freely during the stream.

He addressed his smoking habit as well. Jungkook stated, “I want to talk about smoking. I don’t smoke right now. But why can’t I talk about it? I’m 30 years old. I made great efforts to quit. I want to talk about it, but the moment I do, the company makes a big deal out of it.” This comment is related to the incident in 2023 when he was filmed smoking in Los Angeles, which drew significant attention.

Concerns are growing among ARMY, BTS’s fanbase. Fans and netizens expressed worry about Jungkook’s health and safety, arguing that he is suffering from severe emotional pain. Some insisted that his remarks should not be dismissed as mere drunkard behavior but rather seen as part of the structural violence in the K-pop industry. One netizen criticized, “He revealed he received death threats, yet K-media focuses only on his drinking and smoking instead of protecting him.”

As of now, HYBE has not issued any official statement.