Kim Seok-jin, known professionally as Jin (진), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, and member of the South Korean boy band BTS. Jin has co-written and released three solo tracks with BTS: "Awake" in 2016, "Epiphany" in 2018, and "Moon" in 2020, all of which have charted on South Korea's Gaon Digital Chart. In 2019, Jin released his first independent song, the digital track "Tonight". He made his official debut as a solo artist in October 2022, with the release of the single "The Astronaut".

Apart from singing, Jin 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 his bandmates for his contributions to Korean culture.

Early life and education

Kim Seok-jin was born on December 4, 1992, in Anyang, 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.

Jin 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, Jin 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

2013–present: BTS

Jin was scouted by Big Hit Entertainment for his looks while walking down the street—he was studying acting at the time and had no background in music—and subsequently auditioned as an actor for the company before becoming an idol trainee. On June 13, 2013, he made his debut as one of the four vocalists in BTS. Under the band's name, Jin has performed three solo songs: "Awake", "Epiphany", and "Moon". "Awake", which he co-produced, was released in 2016, as part of BTS' second Korean studio album Wings. The song peaked at number 31 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number six on the Billboard World Digital Song Sales chart in the United States. He shared a Christmas version of "Awake" for free on SoundCloud that December.

"Epiphany" was released as a trailer for BTS' then upcoming compilation album, Love Yourself: Answer, on August 9, 2018. Described as a "building pop-rock melody" by Billboard, the song's lyrics discussed self-acceptance and self-love. The full version of the song was eventually released as a track on Answer, peaking at number 30 on the Gaon Digital Chart and number four on the US World Digital Song Sales chart. In October, Jin was awarded the fifth-class Hwagwan Order of Cultural Merit by South Korean president Moon Jae-in alongside his bandmates.

"Moon" was released in 2020, as part of BTS' fourth Korean studio album Map of the Soul: 7. Variety writer Jae-Ha Kim described the track as a power pop song addressed to the band's fans. "Moon" peaked at number one on the Gaon Digital Chart and number two on the World Digital Song Sales chart.

In July 2021, Jin was appointed Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generations and Culture by President Moon Jae-in, alongside his bandmates, to help "lead the global agenda for future generations" and "expand South Korea's diplomatic efforts and global standing" in the international community.

2015–present: Solo activities

In 2016, Jin collaborated with bandmate V on the single "It's Definitely You", released as part of the Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth original soundtrack, and later received a co-nomination for Best OST at the 2017 Melon Music Awards. In June 2018, Jin featured on an alternate version of "So Far Away", a song from bandmate Suga's debut mixtape Agust D (2016), alongside bandmate Jungkook, which was released during the band's fifth anniversary celebrations. Jin's solo covers include "Mom" by Ra.D, "I Love You" by Mate, and "In Front Of The Post Office In Autumn", originally by Yoon Do-hyun in 1994. They were released on SoundCloud on May 7, 2015, December 3, 2015, and June 7, 2018, respectively. He has also made several appearances as a co-host for Korean music award shows, such as Music Bank and Inkigayo.

On June 4, 2019, Jin released his first independent song "Tonight" via SoundCloud as part of BTS' sixth anniversary celebrations. The acoustic ballad was composed by Jin and Big Hit record producers Slow Rabbit and Hiss Noise. Written by Jin and bandmate RM, the song's lyrics are inspired by Jin's relationship with his pets. The track was met with a generally positive reception, with praise for Jin's vocals and the song's calming atmosphere.

Jin released his second independent song "Abyss" via SoundCloud and YouTube on December 3, 2020. An acoustic ballad inspired by his feelings of anxiety, doubt, and burnout, Jin co-wrote and co-composed the track with RM and record producers Bumzu and Pdogg. In a post to the official BTS blog, Jin spoke about his insecurities regarding music and how those darker emotions drove him to write and release the song.

In October 2021, Jin sang the main theme for the TvN drama series Jirisan. Titled "Yours", the single's release was accompanied by a music video featuring footage from the show. On December 4, Jin released the short trot-style song "Super Tuna" via SoundCloud as a gift to fans in celebration of his 29th birthday. It quickly went viral after an accompanying performance video was posted on the BTS YouTube channel that same day. The video ranked first on YouTube's World Popular Music Video for eight consecutive days and trended in 56 countries, including Korea, Peru, and Singapore. A subsequent dance challenge arose on TikTok, with videos using the sound receiving over 141.8 million cumulative views in 10 days.

In August 2022, Jin collaborated with Nexon as a special game developer for MapleStory. The project was chronicled in the form of a two-episode mini web series, Office Warrior Kim Seok Jin, published to MapleStory Korea's YouTube channel. On October 21, "Tonight", "Abyss", and "Super Tuna" were made available on streaming services worldwide as official singles under Jin's name. All three songs subsequently simultaneously occupied the top three of the November 5 issue of the World Digital Song Sales chart, making Jin the third soloist in the history of the chart to do so. Jin released his debut solo single "The Astronaut", which he co-wrote with the British rock band Coldplay, and an accompanying music video on October 28. He performed the song live with the band later that same day in Buenos Aires, Argentina during their Music of the Spheres World Tour; the show was broadcast live to cinemas worldwide in over 70 countries. The single earned Jin his first solo entry on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 51 and his third number one on the World chart. The following month, South Korean food manufacturing company Ottogi announced Jin as the new advertising model for its Jin Ramen instant noodles brand; a commercial featuring Jin was released on November 11.

Artistry

Jin is a tenor and plays the guitar. In the 2019 novel BTS: The Review, members of the Grammy panel praised Jin's stable breath control and strong falsetto, calling it a "silver voice". Journalist Choi Song-hye of Aju News noted that BTS singles such as "Spring Day" and "Fake Love" displayed Jin's vocal stability, while the B-side "Jamais Vu" showcased his emotional range. Hong Hye-min of The Korea Times described Jin'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, discussing "Epiphany", stated that Jin "sings the most sentimental emotions" of the solo tracks on Love Yourself: Answer (2018). In a review of "Fake Love", Park said that Jin's belting "prove [the song's] effectiveness".

Public image

Philanthropy

In December 2018, Jin donated food, blankets, and dishes for the Korean Animal Welfare Association to celebrate his birthday. He also donated 321 kilograms of food to the Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA), another Korean animal welfare non-profit organization.

Since May 2018, Jin has been a monthly donor to UNICEF Korea, requesting that his donations be kept private at the time. They were eventually publicized following his induction into the UNICEF Honors Club in May 2019 for donating over ₩100 million (about US$84,000).

Influence

In 2019, Jin was ranked as the overall 13th most popular idol and sixth among girls aged 13–19 in South Korea, via data collected by analytics company Gallup Korea.

Personal life

As of 2018, Jin lives in Hannam-dong, Seoul, South Korea. Additionally, he and his older brother opened a Japanese-style restaurant in Seoul called Ossu Seiromushi in 2018.

Health

In March 2022, Jin injured his left hand and underwent surgery to correct it, following which he abstained from certain performances during BTS' Permission to Dance on Stage concerts in Las Vegas, withdrew from some group events, and sang while seated for most of the band's performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

Military service

On October 17, 2022, Big Hit announced that following the release of "The Astronaut" and the completion of its subsequent promotional activities at the end of that month, Jin would begin the enlistment process and carry out his mandatory military service. The singer was previously granted an automatic postponement in 2021 until the end of 2022, following revisions made to the Military Service Act in December 2020. On November 4, 2022, Jin filed paperwork with the Military Manpower Administration (MMA) requesting a termination of the postponement in order to proceed with his conscription. He enlisted as an active duty soldier on December 13 at the Yeoncheon army base in the North Gyeonggi Province. Following the completion of his basic training with the 5th Infantry Division in January 2023, Jin was appointed as an assistant training instructor with the same division.

Awards And Nominations