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BTS' Jung Kook, the idol who has never spoken about his religion since his debut nearly a decade ago, shed light on his religious beliefs in a Weverse live stream. ARMYs across the world had often attempted to speculate on the Golden Maknae's religion based on several minute hints. However, nothing was ever solidified and unanimously agreed upon, as the singer himself had chosen not to speak about it.
Earlier in August, the 25-year-old singer went live on Weverse to spend some time with his fans. While speaking about a variety of topics, he also mentioned his religious background.
Talking about it for the first time, the Seven singer revealed that although his parents practiced different faiths, they never forced their children to choose a religion. Hence, Jung Kook shared that he did not have religion at all.
BTS' Jung Kook opens up about his religious beliefs on live stream, puts speculations to rest
With K-pop going global in recent years, it is not uncommon for fans to figure out an idol’s religion. Since many fans feel represented and connected spiritually to some K-pop idols based on their religious beliefs, knowing this makes some fans feel relieved.
As per a report on Statista by L. Yoon on ‘Population distribution South Korea 2022, by religion,’ 50% of South Koreans have no religious affiliation. The largest practiced religion, with 20%, is Protestantism, one of the three major forces of Christianity. Coming in a close second with 17% is Buddhism.
With millions of ARMYs worldwide loving BTS, it was natural that they had always been curious to know the Golden Maknae, Jung Kook’s religion. In a Weverse live stream on August 3, 2023, the youngest BTS member revealed that he had no religion.
Jung Kook said that his father was a Christian and his mother a Buddhist. He then revealed that his parents never pressured him or his siblings to have a religion, leading him to have no religious affiliation.
As per Translation via Twitter user @lovemazejikook, Jung Kook said,
“I don't have a religion. My father's side is Christian and my mother's side is Buddhist. For us (children)... There hasn't been anything like that since our time. There wasn't any pressure for us (to have a religion) Therefore, I don't have a religion.”
Meanwhile, except for RM, no other BTS members have officially or publicly revealed what religion they practice. Many in the ARMY fandom believe that V (Kim Tae-hyung) is a Catholic because of the many times he has mentioned about an angel in variety content. However, it is not officially known whether it is true.
As for the group’s leader, RM (Kim Nam-joon), the rapper apparently mentioned in a past interview that he was an atheist. In recent times, at the Map of the Soul ON:E concert in 2020, RM explicitly said that despite having "no religion", he was "thankful to God" for various things such as technology that brought him closer to ARMYs.
In other related news, V is the last member to make his official solo debut. His album, titled Layover, will be released on September 8, 2023. He has already treated fans to two pre-release songs with music videos, Love Me Again and Rainy Days.
