Kim Jungkook or Jeon Jungkook? Civil war in BTS Army over K-pop idol's ‘disrespectful' name

Jeon Jungkook is often a part of ‘inside joke’ in the K-pop fandom where many call him with various nicknames including ‘Kim Jungkook’
PUBLISHED FEB 4, 2021
Jeon Jungkook is part of an insider joke that's creating so much drama (BTS Instagram)
Jeon Jungkook is part of an insider joke that's creating so much drama (BTS Instagram)

If you have opened Twitter and found yourself wondering why on earth ‘Kim Jungkook’ is trending, here’s the answer for you. The trend has been called ‘disrespectful’ by some while others found it to be pretty legitimate. Jeon Jungkook aka the 'Golden Maknae' of Grammy-nominated group BTS is often a part of ‘inside joke’ in the K-pop fandom where even their variety show editors ‘Run BTS’ participate in the silly fun calling the ‘My Time’ crooner with various nicknames including ‘Kim Jungkook’. 

Jeon Jungkook was named People's International Sexiest Man of the year in 2020 (Getty Images)

RELATED ARTICLES

Jungkook's blonde selfie after 284-day break sparks frenzy, BTS ARMY says ‘Jungkook just breathing is so charming’

Did BTS' V push Jungkook for his new song 'Stay'? K-Pop star wins Army's hearts with 'real family' comments

Why is Kim Jungkook trending?

In the latest edition of this joke, a fan account posted photos of the three Kims in BTS — Kim Namjoon, Kim Taehyung, Kim Seokjin along with Jeon Jungkook and captioned it ‘Kim line’. Some found the caption perfect as Jeon Jungkook exudes the same energy as the Kim line while others called the trend ‘disrespectful’ as fans shouldn’t mess with a globally popular singer’s name. Earlier in a ‘RUN BTS’ episode where BTS went to a Hyundai showroom and played the variety game show there, Run editors hid one clue where BTS had to find ‘Euphoria' crooner’s alternate name. The name was ‘Kim Jungkook’ and even then, BTS ARMY trended it to be a part of the ‘inside joke’. Yoongi once called the maknae 'Kim Jungkook' as well.



 

Fan reactions 

Within the fandom, there is a persistent shipping culture where fans ship two stars together and some fans find it problematic. Commenting on the shipping, a fan wrote, “Jeon jimin or jeon taehyung or Kim jungkook. like just stfu you're embarassing just fucking stop it it's just ain't it!” Another said, “I don't open twitter for one hour, and *BOOM* Kim Jungkook is trending!! When? How? But Wow!!” An angry fan said, “no, the kim line are seokjin, taehyung and namjoon, jungkook is a JEON, not a kim, icb y'all are getting this f*cking disrespectful!” to which another said, “chill tam, it's their inside joke. kim jungkook.” Another counted all the times where BTS themselves called JK as Kim Jungkook saying, “Noo dont u remember when yoongi said "jk stands for kim jungkook" or the run bts ep where they had to find jungkook's surname n it was kim jungkook too! So ya..”



 



 



 



 

BTS' Jungkook was one of the most talked about singers worldwide not just among the K-pop fandom in 2020. The 24-year-old K-pop star attained a number of personal accolades and the cumulative success of record-breaking group BTS. The ‘Stay’ singer was named People’s International Sexiest Man of the year, Most searched K-pop idol on Google, StarBio Most Popular Popstar, and more.

Jungkook's first blonde selfie  in 2021 (BTS Twitter)

Stream his Billboard Hot 100 charter 'Stay' here:



 

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

John Oliver was bleeped out twice during his brief, 15-second Emmys acceptance speech on live television after he roasted host Nate Bargatze
Sep 15, 2025
Kevin Hart doesn't appreciate paparazzi’s question after viral video of him hosting Diddy’s party resurfaces
Apr 6, 2025
Diddy’s childhood friend Tim Patterson claims Janice Combs’s wild parties often involved pimps, homosexuals, and other adult activities
Apr 6, 2025
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson tied the knot in 1994, but she initially thought the King of Pop was a creep—and we totally get why
Apr 6, 2025
Riley Keough opens up about the Presley family curse in a candid interview while on tour for her book, 'From Here to the Great Unknown'
Apr 5, 2025
Natalie Morales hits back after her interview with Seth Meyers is removed from all platforms due to a revealing outfit
Apr 5, 2025
"Babyface, can you believe she wants me to dress like a girl?" Michael Jackson told a producer.
Apr 2, 2025
Sofia Vergara also dished out on why she doesn't ever want to play Modern Family's Gloria again
Apr 2, 2025
"It took more and more to get high, and I honestly don't know when your body decides it can't deal with it anymore," Lisa Marie Presley wrote.
Apr 1, 2025
A family member's last-minute intervention saved Michael Jackson from the 9/11 tragedy—here’s what happened
Apr 1, 2025