BTS leader Kim Namjoon and member Jimin talked about the group’s military enlistment in a new video shared by Bangtan TV on their YouTube channel. In the video, Namjoon aka RM also spoke about how he has been feeling burdened for over a decade for his decisions as the BTS leader. Jimin also reviewed Namjoon’s new album–Right Place, Wrong Person and praised the BTS leader. (Also Read | Namjoon has a message in song Lost, unveils music video; BTS ARMY say track is a ‘reminder of the fragility of human emotions’)
Jimin opens up about the tough time he went through with Namjoon
Speaking to the camera in the video, Jimin said, “I don’t know if I can say this, but when I listened to the album, it was like a diary. ‘There’s a lot going on in my mind and I’m feeling a little suffocated.’ He just put it all on his album. I know he was going through a really hard time.”
Namjoon shares the burden he felt for 10 years
Sharing the inspiration behind his new album, Namjoon said, “I put everything out there. My stories. I just said what I wanted to say.” When Jimin said he loved the songs, Namjoon added, “In our team, I’m the one who says all the right things, the good things. I come forward to represent the team. That’s what I always do and people expect me to give speeches and give interviews, things like that.”
He continued, “But really, I’m a 29-year-old guy living in Korea. That’s just who I am. I guess I can’t say ‘I’m average’… But for the past ten years, we’ve all felt this burden. At some point, we just had to be dutiful and different. I like BTS because of our music. But I kept caring about what other people thought. If I kept going like this, I felt like I would die. I’d be unable to say what I want to say. It’s not like I just want to say whatever comes to mind. That’s why I worked on this album.”
Namjoon was supposed to join the army with J-Hope earlier
Namjoon said, “While I was working on this new album, a lot of things happened to me. Things that most people don’t experience in their lives. I ended up on a completely different course. Originally, I was going to enlist at the same time as Hobi (J-Hope).” He said that he then got the chance to work on the album.
BTS and Military Recruitment
Talking about the phase before BTS members decided to enlist in the military, Namjoon said, “We went through a long, hard time because of our enlistment problem. There was a lot of talk about it. Even when I was at the bar, people sitting at the next table would talk about it, without knowing I was there. ‘Is it right for them to do this?’ We heard that a lot.” Namjoon added that personally, he was also going through a lot and decided to make the album.
When Namjoon wanted to break up with BTS
When Jimin asked if the album’s lost song was about him, Namjoon said that they had a dynamic time for more than a year. He shared, “I thought then that I should be away from the members for some time. Just physically away, not mentally. But I had to stop thinking about the team to see myself as I am.” Jimin revealed that the rest of the BTS members then thought that maybe Namjoon doesn’t care about them that much, but he understands their problem.
Namjoon and Jimin talk about their album, BTS in 2025
At the end of the video, Namjoon and Jimin talked about the songs on the album in detail. Namjoon said that he felt the burden lighten off his shoulders after Right Place, Wrong Person. Jimin shared that he didn’t think Namjoon was at ease after releasing Indigo in 2022, to which the latter agreed.
In the video, Jimin further explained the kind of burden Namjoon had to go through being the leader of BTS. Namjoon also revealed that he has never been able to relax in the past decade. Talking about coming back as a team in 2025, Jimin said that Namjoon will feel the pressure of the team again. Jimin asked Namjoon if he would be okay with it, to which Namjoon replied in the negative.
