Jung Kook (정국) was born as Jeon Jungkook (전정국) on September 1, 1997 in Busan, South Korea. He’s a singer, dancer, songwriter, and producer. He is also known as the main vocalist of the South Korean group BTS.
At the age of 13, Jungkook auditioned for a famous Korean talent show, Superstar K. Though he was not selected, he received offers from seven different entertainment agencies, one of them being Big Hit Entertainment which had previously signed the rapper RM. Having seen the rapper’s outstanding performance, Jungkook decided to join the same company.
In 2013, at the age of 15, Jungkook debuted with BTS.
Jungkook is often called Golden Maknae (황금막내). The nickname was given by his bandmate, RM, at the beginning of their career. ‘Maknae’ is a Korean term used to refer to the youngest member of the group, and ‘golden’ comes from how multi-talented Jungkook is as he sings, dances, raps, and plays various instruments.
Through the years in BTS, Jungkook took part in the songwriting, composing, and producing process. He co-created, among others, “Run,” “Autumn Leaves,” “Magic Shop,” and “My Time.” He is credited officially as a writer/composer of over 20 tracks by Korea Music Copyright Association — KOMCA (10005242).
In 2017, Jungkook showed his interest in filmmaking by releasing series of short movies—under the G.C.F (Golden Closet Film)—that he directed, shot and edited by himself.
Combining his two passions, music and film, in 2020 Jungkook co-wrote “Your eyes tell,” a song in Japanese and English that serves as the lead soundtrack for Japanese movie with the same title—Your Eyes Tell (きみの瞳が問いかけている). The song has reached #1 on iTunes in 116 countries.
The same year he wrote another lead soundtrack, “Film out,” for the Japanese movie Signal: Long-Term Unsolved Case Investigation Team (劇場版シグナル 長期未解決事件捜査班).
In 2018, along with the other members of BTS, he was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by the President of South Korea for the contribution to Korean culture. Adding to that, in September 2020, as a member of BTS, Jungkook gave a speech at the United Nations General Assembly.
In 2023, Jungkook made his official solo debut with the single “Seven” featuring Latto. The song became a huge success—debuted at No.1 on Spotify Global, topped Billboard Hot 100 chart, and became the fastest song to top iTunes charts in 100 countries. Followed few months later by “3D” featuring Jack Harlow, both songs preceded his debut solo studio album, GOLDEN.
In January 2024, he was promoted to a full member of the Korea Music Copyright Association (KOMCA).