Hairstylist Park Nae-joo shares a hilarious story behind BTS Jungkook’s bangs before his enlistment

BTS star Jeon Jungkook is known in his fandom for his shenanigans as well as his musical prowess. The South Korean musician is one of the most revered artists in the world and the first Korean soloist and an Asian act to surpass 5.2 billion streams on Spotify across all credits. However, his equally notorious endeavors such as cutting his bangs have baffled and amused his fans again and again.

South Korean celebrity hair stylist Park Nae-joo revealed in his latest interview with WWD Japan on March 20, 2024, that the Standing Next To You musician cut his own bangs before his filming schedule in Los Angeles. This incident occurred before Jungkook's military enlistment and when he was promoting his solo debut album GOLDEN across the United States in November 2023.

Park Nae-joo has been working alongside BTS and HYBE Corporation since 2013 when the K-pop sensation debuted with their studio album Dark & Wild. For over a decade, the stylist has shadowed BTS and its members and has seen their struggles and rise to fame from up close.

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Park Nae-joo reveals that BTS Jungkook and EXO's Kai are the only artists who go along with any hairstyle ideas

For the unversed, popular Korean hair stylist Park Nae-joo collaborates with a number of actors and singers, such as Park Bo-gum, BTS, and EXO. He began his career as a stylist's assistant at a salon before becoming freelance and styling the hair of well-known celebrities for almost 20 years.

He launched Bit & Boot, a beauty parlor, in Cheongdam-dong, South Korea, in 2018, and over time, he built it to become the city's most sought-after styling junction for celebrities. Even now, with his global reach, he never stops studying, coming up with new methods, and designing in-demand hairstyles.

Meanwhile, before entering the military, BTS member Jungkook was supposed to shoot in Los Angeles for a performance video for the song Standing Next To You with famous American musician, Usher. In addition, Park Nae-joo was asked to depart for Los Angeles as soon as he wrapped up his work at the 2023 MAMA Awards in Japan.

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, the hairstylist discovered that the BTS star had cut his bangs incredibly short. In an interview with WWD Japan, Park Nae-joo said that he had to fix Jungkook's complete appearance to suit his filming with Usher.

This is not the first time that the BTS ARMY has witnessed Jungkook cut his own hair. A day before his military enlistment in December 2023, Jungkook's older brother shared a post on his Instagram story that showed the SEVEN singer shaving his head before enlistment.

Years ago, the musician was also seen coloring his hair two different colors during Bon Voyage season 2. Other than Jungkook, BTS member Kim Seok-jin aka Jin is also famous for his stories of cutting his hair and accidentally coloring it purple without the knowledge of his staff and team.

During his interview, Park Nae-joo revealed that hairstyle choices are determined in consultation with the artist's agency's visual director and his staff. The new record sleeve photography takes place four or five months ahead of schedule. The stylists, hair stylists, and makeup artists each bring their ideas and piece them together to come up with a new look for each idol before a release.

According to Park Nae-joo, among idols, Baekhyun of EXO and LE SSERAFIM's Sakura generate a lot of ideas, thus they frequently make choices while discussing viewpoints. Conversely, EXO's Kai and BTS's Jungkook are the kind of individuals who would accept any ideas the stylist has prepared for them.

There are around 15 hairstylists, in addition to the 7 members of Park Nae-joo's crew. Under them are around 70 employees on the team in total, which includes subordinates and a separate 12-person management team that oversees the scheduling of celebrities, idol groups, awards shows, and more.

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BTS's Jungkook is currently serving his mandatory conscription at the 5th Infantry unit of the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) and will return in June 2025.